Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zebra

Zebra finches are native to Australia and are among the smallest of the finch family. In the wild, they normally breed in large groups, with as many as fifty nests in a colony. In captivity, they are best kept in small groups for company, so that they do not need too much interaction with their owners. Their life span as captives is around seven years, although some have been reported as living much longer. In the wild, five years is more common.

A glance at the photo will show you the striped tail on this little bird, from which its common name is derived.

Answer: South America

These brightly coloured birds live in large flocks in the north-eastern regions of South America, including parts of Brazil and Guyana. They form monogamous partnerships for breeding. As pets, they are affectionate and lively - and loud. They are considered to be one of the noisiest parrot species and need to be kept entertained.

They are also long living and could live up to thirty years. Although not known as talkers, they can mimic sounds so you might find yourself going to the door after hearing a perfectly imitated doorbell.

Answer: John Gould

The Gouldian finch is an Australian bird, and was first brought to the world's attention by the nineteenth century English ornithologist John Gould. He and his wife went to Australia in 1838 to study the wild birds and produced a series of books named 'The Birds of Australia'.

There were seven books in all, over a period of years, plus a supplement and gave the northern hemisphere their first look at many of these birds. Darwin mentioned Gould by name in his own famous work 'On the Origin of Species'.

The finches come in different colour combinations - the photo shows a red-headed specimen but there are also black-headed versions.

Answer: Lovebird

Lovebirds are native to Africa, with one species found on Madagascar. The one pictured is the peach-faced lovebird, probably the one most often kept as a pet. Lovebirds are also now found in the wild where escapees have established themselves in parts of the USA and South Africa.

As pets, lovebirds can form bonds with humans and be affectionate, but they can also be aggressive and it is best not to mix them with smaller birds which may well be killed.

Answer: True

Originating in the Azores, Canary Islands and Madeira, canaries have been kept as pets since the seventeenth century when they were the preserve of the rich due to their cost. Their name is derived from the Canary Islands rather than the other way around.

As pets, they prefer not to be handled - you'd be better with a budgerigar if you want a small, tame bird - but they do have an attractive song, provided you get a male.

Answer: Chinese

These are ground dwelling birds and are popular as pets, kept in aviaries. They are known as the king quail, Asian painted quail, blue-breasted quail and Chung-Chi as well as the commonly used Chinese painted quail. In the wild, they are found in south-eastern Asia and parts of Oceania.

They can be a useful addition to an aviary as they will eat food dropped by other species and help keep their environment clean. They are not especially long living, though, with six years being average.

Answer: Rose-ringed parakeet

These parakeets have adapted well to feral living in the UK, establishing colonies in parks around London in the mid 1990s. They have now spread their wings, literally, and moved into many areas, even some in Scotland. Since they originated in Africa and India, it took them time to acclimatise and in their earlier years of wild living they often failed to survive the winters. Time has meant adaptation and there is talk now of carrying out culls since the birds are so prevalent and are impacting on the UK's wildlife.

Answer: Red

The photo, deliberately, shows only the parrot's head. The tail is a vivid shade of red and forms a real contrast to the rest of the parrot's plumage. African greys are a popular choice as a pet since they are clever, often described as the most intelligent of the parrots, and easily pick up language - good or bad, so you need to be careful what you say.

They do need company, though, as they can easily become bored. You also need to be prepared for a long commitment, as they can live anything from 40 to 60 years.

Answer: True

It's not surprising that people would want to keep these beautiful birds as pets. With their red heads and flashes of gold on the wings, they are one of Britain's most attractive wild birds. Although it is legal to have them in cages, you cannot just go out with a net and catch one in the garden. By law, only birds which have bred in captivity, and have an appropriate closed ring on one of their legs can be kept as pets.

This also applies to other finch species, including the greenfinch. My personal preference would be to leave them in the wild, especially as they seem to form groups of several birds. Keeping just one in captivity seems unkind, even if legal.

Answer: Quarrion

Cockatiels are nearly as popular as the budgerigar as a pet bird. They also come from Australia, and have been kept as pets in the UK for over one hundred years. Their distinctive crest is shared with their larger cockatoo relatives. Their natural colour is grey but breeding has created colour variations including the white lutino. They can be finger tamed, but you need to start an an early age. They can also be trained to talk although with a limited repertoire.

The quokka is a small macropod, the quagga is an extinct type of zebra and the quetzal is a bird of the Americas.