The Continental has darker bars on its tail, a creamy tinge to the back, and distinctive dark red eyes.īy mixing and matching different Zebra finch types, breeders have come up with other complex variations on the CFW theme, including Black-breasted, Orange-breasted, Black-cheek, Fawn and Lightback CFWs. There are two distinct types of CFW - the Regular, ‘old’ CFW (aka Black-eyed or UK CFW) and the Continental, ‘new’ CFW (aka red-eyed CFW). Some are predominantly white, and there is a certain amount of potluck involved in breeding this variety. Their tails are light brown or grey, depending on whether the bird is from Grey or Fawn genetic stock, and the head colours tend to be less striking than standard birds. These markings are very faint on some varieties of CFW. These are white-bodied birds with brown flanks (although this is often absent), and with the standard markings of the head and breast intact. Unlike the Black-breasted variety, they have thick black tear-stripes on the face. The birds look like standard Greys, but with an extensive black area running from the throat to the flanks. This variety is restricted to Australia, where it was developed in the mid-1960s. When crossed with the Orange-breasted variety, the blacks and oranges vie for prominence.Īustralian breeders have taken this to the limit with a very black bird referred to as Black-bodied although this is not yet recognised as a variety seperate from the Black-face. The birds are often crossed with Black-cheek and Black-breasted types to produce extensive areas of dark plumage. The effect is far subtler in hens, some of which are hard to distinguish from Greys. This varies, but sometimes stretches across the whole underside from chin to vent. These finches have more black on the face than standard Grey types, and their breasts have extensive black too. The Black-cheek, combined with Fawn birds, produces a hybrid Fawn-cheek coloration, with the black replaced by brown. The distinctive black cheek of the bird is not a robust genetic feature, and breeders often struggle to get the markings dark and distinct. Like the Orange-breasted, this mutation was first spotted and isolated in the late 1970s. The Black-cheek is frequently crossed with other types to combine key plumage features. They also have black on the flanks where a standard Grey type would have chestnut. These birds have black cheeks, as you would guess from the name, masking the ‘tear’ stripe that sits alongside it. If the bird you are looking at has a wide black splodge on its chest, it’s a Black-breasted Zebra of some sort. The Black-breasted is frequently crossed with other types of Zebra finch, giving rich variety. The tail tends to be coloured and patterned differently too, and there may be orange or white flecks on the wings. Their cheek patches are very big they lack the Zebra finch’s distinctive facial ‘tear’ stripe and their flank spots are larger and more stretched, often producing a streaked or spotted effect. The large black breast marking is the feature that gives the bird its name. These birds differ from standard Greys in most plumage details. This is the classic Zebra finch, with the same grey, black and chestnut basic coloration as the wild bird.

These colours are set against a background of one of the three varieties mentioned above - Grey, Fawn or White. Basically, the birds can have one of two background colorations - Standard (Grey), or Fawn.Įach of the following is recognised as a distinct variety by bird shows. Selective breeding has produced many colour varieties of Zebra finch. Zebra Finches - English, German or American?

White zebra finch