This week’s ramble runs a little late thanks to McGuire and Powell being closed for fumigation. Nonetheless, we have a new addition to talk about! We have talked about butterflies and we have talked about plants but we also have birds in the Rainforest and this young fledgling was found on Sunday, just before we closed.
Its name is Tempest (since, as its foster mom has said, it can fit in a tea pot) and it is a Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) which hails from Australia.
Tempest is being cared for until it's old enough to join the flock in the Rainforest. Florida Museum photo by Ryan Fessenden- Tempest is a new baby Zebra Finch in the Rainforest. Florida Museum photo by Ryan Fessenden
It’s not unheard of that a finch chick is found fallen from its nest and for whatever reason is no longer being cared for by its parents. This is where Ingrith Martinez comes in. In such situations she takes it upon herself to hand-feed the little ones until they are able to re-join the adults inside the Butterfly Rainforest.
Tempest currently lives in a small screen in the back of the lab so it’s not readily able to be seen, but you can come and see our other Zebra Finches in the Rainforest to get an idea of what this one will look like.