Zebra finches are native to central Australia where they can be found in great numbers anywhere on the grasslands and forests but always close to a water source.
They are very resourceful little birds who have adapted well to the intrusion of man and have quickly learnt to take full advantage of man-made watering holes and clearings.
Water is important to the Zebra finch as their breeding cycle depends on when the rains occur.
As this can happen at any time in their native habitat these little birds will wait for a heavy downpour before they breed.
They are incredibly adaptable little birds and will nest almost anywhere they can find which they consider suitable.
In the wild a Zebra finch can live up to five years as their life expectancy depends on their natural environment.
The Zebra finch has become one of the most popular breeds of domesticated birds to be kept in captivity today and unlike its wild counterpart will breed all year round.
A domesticated Zebra finch may live substantially longer too, with many reaching the age of 10.
There have been reports of some of these delightful birds living up to 15 years.
The reason for this is believed to be that the domesticated birds do not have to suffer the predators that their wild brothers have to cope with.
The main predator for the wild Zebra finch is the cat but lack of food is also responsible for the shorter life span of the wild bird.
The Zebra finch is a very vocal little chap and each male finch has its own unique song which it passes on to their male offspring as they mature add their own small variations to the song.
Young males will use all the sounds that they hear including other males versions and add them to form their unique style of song.
It is this wonder song that has made this lovely little bird so popular with man.
They are active creatures who will delight their owner with all their busy antics.
They do well in numbers so anyone wishing to keep them in captivity needs to have a large cage for a number of these birds to be kept in and which allows them to fly around freely.
In the wild the Zebra finch survives on a diet of seeds and their beaks have developed precisely to enable them to de-husk small seeds very efficiently.
They are prolific eaters but they are also very messy eaters, which means in the wild they are great at distributing seeds over the ground thus replanting the areas of their habitat.
Water is of the paramount importance to this little bird which will drink as often as it can as its survival depends it.
Domestic Zebra finches have the same behavior as their wild brothers and are just as messy when it comes to eating.
It is always a good idea to keep cages as clean as possible and take out uneaten food every day in order to keep the caged birds happy and healthy.