What are they? (Zebras, color ??)

[ShyZebra]

I just bought a male and female Zebra Finch a couple days ago. I've been looking and looking all over the internet on every site I can find and I am still not sure what colors they are. They are both fawn, I'm sure, but what else I don't know. I don't have pictures, so I'll try my darndest to descrip them accuratly.


MALE
Base color: creamy tan-fawn color. He has a darker/oranger edging(?) or lacing(?) on his wings (and less noticably on back). cream/buff underparts.

Tear marks: doesn't seem to have any, if so, almost same color as body

Cheeks: standard orange, maybe a tiny bit lighter. Slightly larger than typical and a little bit "feathery" around the edges.

Tail bars: same color as body with darker/oranger around the edges. Otherwise "normal" pattern (not enlongated, etc)

Chestnut/Flanks: same or slightly lighter/oranger as normal. extends up to join with breast bar. has white dots.

Breast bar/striping: both the same chestnut/orange as the flanks.


FEMALE
Base color: same cream tan-fawn color as male. No lacing or edging on wings/back. Slightly darker cream/buff underparts than male. back/wings very slightly lighter than body

Tear marks: same as male

Cheeks: slightly differant than body color. only noticable on close-up look.

Tail bars: same as male

[ShyZebra]

I've just seen the most beautiful bird. They said he was a phaeo, but he has a lot more orange than I've seen on those. His entire head is orange, he has orange lacing on his chin/throat, his chest and belly is orange (down to just behind his legs). His wings and back are white with orange edging on his wing feathers. His tail is white with some orange on them (from top to end instead of the normal markings). Also, he has the typical white spots on his flakes, which are orange.


Also, I notice today that my female has "ghostmarkings" on her flanks, like she has chestnut flanks and white spots. It's very light and barely noticable.

[kenny]

hi shy zebra
here is a picture link to the phaeo

very nice but very rare first bred by garry landry


http://www.zebrafinch.com/OrangeFacePhaeo.GIF



ken

[Crystal]

Could your male be an orange breast(ed) bird? possibly orange breasted fawn? http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... D%26sa%3DN

[ShyZebra]

The "phaeo" I seen looked similar to that. I think he was a black ("orange") face phaeo, like in the picture.

Yup, Crystal. With more research, I'm am almost posative he is fawn + orange breast + something (he is lighter colored fawn and has lacing on his wings. look at the phaeo pic and imagine wings like that on a fawn based bird.) He might even be split for black breast, like the bird in your picture (his cheeks are slightly inlarged like the pic).

[JeannetteD]

HI Sam

I've never heard of a female having ghost markings. I suppose it's possible though, maybe someone else has heard of this.

i think it's more likely that you have a male whose flank markings have not come in yet.

Jeannette

[ShyZebra]

Nope, she is a hen. She has laid eggs before, although she was by herself so they where infertile.

I have seen pictures of fawn lightbacks, grey lightbacks and grey orange breasts, all/most active breeding females, with "ghostmarkings" on the flanks. I think she is also orange breast fawn.