zebra finch
noun
: a small Australian waxbill (Taeniopygia guttata synonym Poephila guttata) that is chiefly gray above and white below with a red or orange bill, a black-and-white barred tail, and in the male a black-barred throat and that is often kept as a cage bird
Examples of zebra finch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The researchers couldn’t hear a difference between the males’ songs before and after the break—but female zebra finches definitely could.
—
Olivia Ferrari, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023
Two songbirds studied, zebra finches and canaries, are domesticated.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023
The results from the zebra finch study tend to reflect similar studies in people.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2015
The team found fewer receptors for mesotocin in key spots of the brain in species that were more territorial (less social) than the zebra finch—and more receptors in species that traveled in flocks.
—Katherine Harmon Courage, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
In the wild, zebra finches typically live in colonies of between four and twenty birds.
—Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
Genes that are switched on when neurons fire tend to be more active in the left half of a courting zebra finch’s brain than the right half.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2012
Just last month, fragments of hepatitis-like viruses were found hiding out in the genes of the zebra finch.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2010
Another type of finch – the zebra finch – provided a clue.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2012
Olivia Ferrari, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023
Two songbirds studied, zebra finches and canaries, are domesticated.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023
The results from the zebra finch study tend to reflect similar studies in people.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2015
The team found fewer receptors for mesotocin in key spots of the brain in species that were more territorial (less social) than the zebra finch—and more receptors in species that traveled in flocks.
—Katherine Harmon Courage, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
In the wild, zebra finches typically live in colonies of between four and twenty birds.
—Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
Genes that are switched on when neurons fire tend to be more active in the left half of a courting zebra finch’s brain than the right half.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2012
Just last month, fragments of hepatitis-like viruses were found hiding out in the genes of the zebra finch.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2010
Another type of finch – the zebra finch – provided a clue.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2012
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zebra finch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Zebra finch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zebra%20finch. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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