Leave the Flock Exactly Where It Lives
Zebra finches draw security from familiar perches and from each other, so fireworks night is not the moment to catch birds up and move them to a strange cage. Keep the cage or indoor aviary in its normal place, close the windows and curtains in that room, and add background sound from a radio in another room so bangs arrive softened rather than sharp. Because finches are small and quick, any plan that involves handling them in the dark creates more risk than the fireworks themselves. Your job is to change the room around the flock, not the flock itself.
Cover for Retreat, Light for Orientation
Drape a cloth over one end of the cage so the finches can choose a shadowed corner, while leaving the other end open for air and a little light. Total darkness is a trap for a startled finch: a bang triggers a blind flight, and a bird that cannot see a perch hits wire or a cage wall. A dim lamp left on across the room solves that, letting a bird that bursts off a perch land again safely. Check that the cover cannot fall over the whole cage if a bird flutters against it, and keep it clear of any heater.
Expect Flock Panic, Not Individual Bravery
One finch bursting into flight sets off every bird in the cage within a second, and that chain reaction is normal finch behaviour rather than a sign something is badly wrong. Short flurries that settle back to perches within a minute or two can simply be waited out from a distance. Resist opening the cage to rescue a bird that looks frantic; an open door during a flock panic is how a two-inch gap becomes a lost finch behind furniture. Watch instead through the bars, speak quietly, and let the group settle each other, which they do far better among themselves.
Set Food, Water, and Doors Before Dark
Top up seed and water in the late afternoon, add a spray of millet as an occupying treat, and then commit to not opening the cage again until morning. Decide who, if anyone, enters the bird room that evening, and keep cats and dogs out of it entirely, because a pet scratching at the door during a display adds a predator scare to the noise scare. If your finches live in an outdoor aviary, close and cover the sheltered section, check the mesh and latches in daylight, and make certain no bird is shut out in the open flight when the noise begins.
The Morning-After Check That Matters
At first light, look for the quiet injuries fireworks night can leave behind: a finch sitting puffed on the floor, a bird favouring one wing, blood specks on a perch from a broken feather, or one bird being kept away from food by flockmates. A finch that is not eating, is breathing with an open beak, or stays fluffed and still needs an avian vet promptly, because small birds run down fast. Count every bird before you relax, since a missing finch may be hiding injured in the cage. Sharing that morning check and the night's routine through KinsLe's Family Sharing keeps the whole household working from identical instructions for the flock.