Taeniopygia guttata
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Sunda zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a species of bird in the family Estrildidae. It is found in the Lesser Sundas. For almost two centuries, its closest relative from Australia was generally included in T.guttata as a subspecies; since the 2020s it is generally considered a separate species Taeniopygia castanotis.
Most pre-2020 literature referencing "T.guttata" actually refers to the birds now known as T.castanotis – in particular physiological, neurological and behavioral studies generally used "T.guttata" for the Australian species, because T.guttata sensu stricto was never kept in captivity in significant numbers, and thus was unavailable for such research.
Differences between the two zebrafinches are slight. Purebred adult males, however, can immediately distinguished by the grey throat of T.guttata, while that region is barred black-and-white in T.castanotis. These namesake "zebra" markings are limited to a barely visible patch on the sides of the lower neck in T.guttata. In direct comparison, the Sunda species has a slight brownish hue on the top of the head and the underside.
More importantly, during their courtship rituals, the Sunda... Wikipedia →
Recording0:26
Australia · 2023
© mary-a-crawf · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Australia · 2025
© Hannah D C 16:6 Heritage Trust · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Australia · 2026
© ao_10k · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Zebra Finch sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 408th most-seen of the 426 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Zebra Finch in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Zebra Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Los Angeles, in our data
Los Angeles is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Zebra Finch sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Zebra Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Angeles (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
