There are generally four types of finches bred in captivity: Gouldians, Owl Finches, Societies, and Zebras. As of 2025 at Houck Hollow, we only breed zebras.
There is a great variety of mutations in zebra finches. Their commonality is that they typically have zebra-like stripes across the neck, chest, and tail, as well as a black teardrop on the eye. Males and females can be determined by brightness of feather and by the color of the bill. Males usually have a bright red bill while females’ bills are orange.
In the wild, they are found in Australia and Indonesia. They are fun, easy-going birds that make a buzzing noise to greet you in the mornings. They hover when they fly, a bit like a hummingbird. Sadly, their life span is shorter than most pet birds, topping out at around five years.
Gia & Alex— Adopted 2024
Gia and Alex are the parents of Melman & Marty. We adopted them first and the brothers were mighty lonely until we found them girlfriends.
As far as I can tell, Gia is a White Zebra & Alex is either a Normal or possibly a hybrid of Black Face.
Type—White/Black Face
Melman & Gloria—Adopted 2024
Melman is a Normal Zebra and his mate, Gloria is a Saddleback. The Saddleback variation is a form of the Pied mutation and isn’t classified independently. There are a lot of striking possibilities in breeding Zebras.
Type—Normal/Saddleback
Marty & Okapi—Adopted 2024
Okapi, the hen is a Pied with more color than her sister, Gloria. Her mate, Marty, is vibrant. These birds move so quickly that they’re very hard to photograph. Marty has cheek patches as well, so I’d almost think He’s a George or a Grizzle Zebra, but those are extremely rare.
Type—Pied/Grizzle
Gia’s Baby—Born 2024
We tried hand-taming this baby, and it worked for a while, but she’s all Finchified now and loves living the human “hands-off” life her family has taught her.
I think it would be worth trying to tame one, though. They’re awfully cute.
Type—White Hen
Houck Hollow 