Michael and I love canaries and did a lot of research on which type we'd like to have. We decided on a song type canary as the song is what we loved the most. Then we listened to each breed and decided on an American Singer. Lucky for us, there is a breeder in our area and we scheduled several visits with her and the birds. After many hours, we finally picked one! Not the easiest thing when there are so many to love! His name is Clyde and he is green with a lovely yellow chest and a marvelous personality. We bought our cage from Designer Aviaries - they make gorgeous cages that are perfect for both the bird and the owner... After all, the cage was going to be a main focus in our living room and we wanted something attractive without compromising the health and happiness of our bird. After all, it was home for Clyde first and foremost!
As I was researching the birds I came across a lot of useful information and
compiled it here. I hope this helps you if you're thinking of getting one of
these brilliant birds, whatever breed you might enjoy!
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The common canary (serinus canarius) is related to finches native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa and under the rule of Spain and Portugal. The Canary Islands were not named for the birds, but were named for the large dogs that were kept by the locals of ancient times (dog=canis in Latin). Europeans began making pets of the wild canaries (Fringillidae of the finch family) in the 1400's. They were originally a grayish green color with only a hint of yellow on their breasts, looking more like sparrows than what we now see in canaries. The male's song was noticed and pairs were eventually kept in captivity to be bred and enhance certain characteristics - song, feathering or conformation. Over the past half century, this has led to the development of numerous breeds of canaries, all of which are quite different from the original finch.
The canary breeds break down pretty much into those bred for color, song, or appearance/conformation. The males of all breeds sing to one degree or another, but those actually bred for song have a specific sound and are specialists at it. Show song canaries are often highly trained, will sing on cue and need to know certain notes to compete.
Canaries bred for color are available in colors that range from white to brilliant orange and many shades of brown, gold and silver. The non-color-fed shades of red in canaries is derived from the Black-hooded Red Siskin of Venezuela.
Type canaries are bred for their shape and form. This ranges from squat, to tall and upright. There are types with crests and those with frills and swirls of feathers. These canaries come also in a variety of colors.
American Singer
The
American Singer (A.S.) was developed in the U.S. by eight women in the Boston
area in the 1930s. The "blueprint" for breeding the A.S. with a 2/3 Roller
canary bloodline and 1/3 Border canary (a type canary) bloodline was officially
adopted in 1942. If you were to start with one Roller and one Border, it would
take 5 years (generations) to create your own A.S.
The A.S. has been a popular bird. It was developed to have a lot of variety in its song and be pleasant to hear. The A.S. can be any color, including orange, but they must not be color-fed. They can be variegated (dark patches).
The A.S. may sing some of the Roller songs or even Waterslagger notes but overall it should sing a variety of songs.
Note: A lot of people will purchase a canary from a pet store and will be told that it is an American Singer. Unless the bird is closed-banded as an American Singer by a registered breeder, it is NOT an American Singer. The common term for a non-banded canary is a Kitchen Canary. This does not mean that the canary is not a wonderful bird or a great pet! It just means that it is not legally an American Singer. This goes for all breeds of birds. If you are looking for a bird as a pet and are not concerned with the breed, then this should not bother you. What is of concern, however, is that people - especially pet-store owners and their sales-people - are educated.
German Roller
This
is an old breed of canary specifically developed for its song. The Rollers
originated in the Hartz Mountains of Germany, particularly in St. Andreasburg.
In the 17-1800s, many working-class families raised and trained singing canaries
to supplement their incomes. By the mid-1800s, canaries were making their way
to the U.S. regularly. Between 1905 and 1915, over 3 million Rollers were
brought from Germany to the U.S. dispersed by German dealers in New York.
The Roller sings softly with its beak closed. Its throat feathers rise as it sings and can span as many as three octaves. They grow to 5 1/2 inches in length and their colors vary from yellow, white, green or gray to variegated. Occasionally Rollers are red-orange.
Young Rollers utter their first few notes at about 6 weeks old. It takes them up to 18 months to develop complex song, which should be sung in a rolling fashion. Roller canaries are bred to mimic songs well, and good breeders realize that the lineage of both the mother and the father play a part in how talented a songster each chick will become.
Spanish Timbrado
Timbrados
descend from Spanish birds that were bred with local songbirds. They have a
loud, high-pitched song and can produce some clear, metallic tones and a
chattering sound like castanets. Timbrados are green, yellow, white or cinnamon
birds and are often variegated. They may have dark marks on their bodies.
Belgium Waterslagger
The
Waterslagger is a song canary that originates in Belgium and has a soft to
medium-loud song. They are usually light yellow with some dark marks (ticks)
and can sing the Roller tours along with bubbling water notes of their own.
Occasionally a Waterslagger can open its beak in competitions to make louder
notes, unlike the Roller which would lose points. They are a popular breed of
canary in Europe and are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. True
Waterslaggers can imitate the sound of a slow, babbling brook and can speed up
the song so that the water is "boiling."
Border Canary
The Border canary is a breed created during the 19th century in the towns bordering England and Scotland (including counties of Cumberland, Dumfries, Roxburgh and Selkirk). The counties all had their own local type canaries until 1882, when the Cumberland canary breeders and exhibitors decided to call their bird the "Cumberland Fancy." The Border canary breeders met July 1890 and created a standard, calling their birds the Border Fancy Canary. Their club started with a membership of 643.
The Border is a typical looking canary, often yellow or light-yellow. Although the original Border was quite small, the modern Border standard calls for a bird that is 5 1/2 inches long, ideally holding itself at a 60 degree angle. Border canaries should not be color-fed to produce reddish birds.
Gloster Canary
The
Gloster Corona (or crested) canary has a "hairstyle" reminiscent of the
Beatles. Ideally, Glosters
have a circular cap of feathers and quite often the
cap is dark on a light bird. Some Glosters do not have the cap and are known
as Gloster Consorts.
Breeders pair crested birds with non-crested birds because breeding two crested birds can be deadly to potential chicks. Glosters were first created with a Mrs. Rogerson of Gloucestershire County crossed Rollers, Borders and crested canaries. They were first recognized in 1920. They are preferably no larger than 4 1/2 inches long. They are stocky birds who are cute and sing freely.
Norwich Canary
The
Norwich canary is relatively large and heavy, sometimes reaching 6-6 1/2 inches
long. Probably originally bred for their clear orange-yellow color, they have
an impressive forehead, a thick neck and is full in the cheeks, chest and across
the back. The orangish hue written about in historical records may have come
from color-feeding the birds cayenne pepper before and during molting.
Yorkshire Canary
The Yorkshire is tall, thin and long-legged, probably developed from the Lancashire Plainhead, the Belgium and the Norwich. The first exhibitions of the Yorkshire were around 1860, the first club was founded in 1894. This canary can be up to 6 3/4 inches long and stands very tall. Yorkshires come in many colors and can be variegated.
Frilled Canary
There are several types of frilled canaries. They are challenging to breed to the exact standards, as they must have a certain amount and placement of frilled feathers in order to exhibit them. Dutch Frill and Parisian Frill are most common in the U.S. Frilled canaries have swirled feathers on their back, chest and flanks. Other areas should be smooth. Dutch Frills measure up to 6 3/4 inches while the Parisian Frill measures up to 8 inches. Other frilled canaries are: Colored Frill, Japanese Frill, French Frill, Gibber Italicus, Giboso Espanol and Swiss Frill. Crested frills include the Florin and the Padovan.
Lizard Canary
These are named for the scale-like look of their feathers. Lizard canaries have neat rows of dark feathering over most of their bodies, also having a striking cap of pale feathers of their head. This breed probably appeared as a mutation in France and was introduced to London by French refugees. The history is not certain but it is known that by 1846 there was a Lizard canary and a closely related "London Fancy" (no longer existing).
The Lizard canary is spangled with either gold or silver color and dark markings. They have no spangles before they first molt, and in later molts the pattern is not as crisp so there is only one season/year in which they can be shown. The Lizard has a black, clear eyebrow defining the break between the cap and the eye. The beak and legs should be jet-black, and the bird should generally be stocky with a broad chest and head.
Fife Canary
The
Fife is a miniature Border canary and cannot exceed 4 1/2 inches long. It's
seen in several colors: yellow, white cinnamon, silver fawn, blue, green, yellow
and variegated. Many Fifes are variegated. This is a fairly recent canary
breed that became popular in the U.S. in the early 1980s.
Gibber Italicus
Technically one of the Frilled Canaries, the Gibber is a lanky, thin canary with hunched shoulders and featherless thighs. It has large eyes surrounded by naked areas and a flat skull. The Gibber is thinly feathered, but those it does have are usually deep yellow. This breed may be up to 6 inches long, was developed in central and northern Italy and was officially recognized as a breed in 1951.
No
matter what color, these canaries are bred to show it off as well as
possible and to be excellent examples of it. Color-bred canaries are up to 5 1/2 inches
long, including a 1 3/8 inch tail. To show properly, they should stand at a 45
degree angle on the perch. Their head should be neither too long nor too
snake-like. For show, they are also required to have all 12 tail feathers and
18 wing feathers.
Color in these canaries comes from a combination of their overall basic color, and the black or brown pigment over the ground color. The feather quality of the bird is referred to as frost or non-frost and affects how bright a bird's color appears.
The Black-Hooded Red Siskin
This is a Venezuelan finch in which the male in a brilliant scarlet red with a black head and black wing markings. The female is more subtly shaded. In our modern canaries, the Black-hooded Red Siskin heritage is apparent in rich red hues, but the Red Siskin is not often still bred with canaries. In its native country of Venezuela, it has always been a popular cage bird, though it has not been widely bred in captivity. This has become a cause for concern. There are only a handful of Red Siskins left in the wild. When it was found that introducing the Red Siskin bloodlines into the canary gene pool produced brilliant red and orange hues of Red Factor canaries, extensive trapping and exportation occurred, seriously depleting the wild population. Many of the Red Siskins in captivity have been genetically intermingled with canaries, but Red Siskin enthusiasts have been trying to sort these captive Siskins out and once again breed them, possibly reintroducing them to their native habitats in the future.
Canaries are not social birds like parrots, sing better when solitary and do not need handling. There are bird shows held throughout the country in the fall where you can meet many resourceful people and learn a lot about the birds.
Canaries sing constantly. Although, when they molt in the summer, they become quiet. What you play around the house will have an influence on your bird's song, so if you have something that makes an odd sound, don't be surprised if your bird starts to sound like it!
If you do not care about breed, type or song, you should be able to find a pet-quality canary with no problem (at a reputable store, of course). Just about any male will sing. But, if you want a canary primarily for its sound, you should listen to the song you are getting before acquiring the bird
Remember, if you are looking for a songbird for your home, you will want to select a single male. Females rarely sing and when they do, it is muted and soft.
Where To Find Canaries And What To Look For:
Societies: There are clubs and bird societies all over the county (and world) that are a great resource.
Classifieds: National magazines often advertise for breeders and suppliers.
Bird Shows: Exhibitors will often bring birds to sell or will recommend someone. References are ideal when purchasing a bird from a breeder. You want to be sure you're treated fairly and get a good quality bird. You should also be able to find a recommendation for an avian vet at such an event or from your breeder.
Bands: The bands on the birds legs do not hurt them and serve as identification. They are especially important if you are buying a specific breed. Be sure to ask the breeder what the band means. Although most birds never notice the band, watch for problems or if your bird pecks at it. If the band must be removed, have it done by a vet and keep it and record all information.
Fall: This is the best time to buy your bird is the Fall - this is when breeders are selecting their birds for next year. You will rarely be able to buy a bird from a breeder at any other time.
Care: Make sure the breeder keeps a clean environment. Some breeds are more prone to problems than others ask the breeder for information about your bird. Ask what food the breeder was using (so you can remain consistent or gradually change their diet) and if they were color-fed.
Qualities of a healthy canary: Clear bright eyes. Clean feathers and body. Active and Lively, Sings (if male). Breathes well. Stands up well.
If you have other birds at home, quarantine your new bird for about a month. The bird's cage should be at least 24" long to allow for flying. Remember, longer is better! The slats in the cage should be no more than 1/2 inch wide.
Canaries must have fresh water every day. More than 12 hours without water and they could die.
Find an excellent seed mix - ask your breeder or someone at a bird show or in a society. They know they best places to buy food and supplies. Gravel is not necessary for canaries.
Canaries must have fresh greens and fruit. Try: broccoli, beets, cabbage, carrots, romaine lettuce, apple, orange, pear. Cooked egg-white is also very beneficial for canaries, and most beneficial during molting.
Iceberg and the like is not healthy. Neither is spinach. Soft fruits such as peach, papaya or mango can damage their system.
Treat seeds are unhealthy. They do like them but limit their intake.
Vitamins are very important. All-natural vitamins which you mix with their water 3 days/week are recommended.
During the summer, for about 4-6 weeks, canaries molt (lose their feathers and re-grow them). This is a stressful time for the canary and he needs consistency in his schedule. Any changes could throw him into sickness. This is also the best time to color-feed your bird (if you have that kind) as the new feathers will pick up the pigment the best.
Bathing is more important during this time than any other. Make sure they bath several times per week and once a day is fine.
If your bird molts more than 8 weeks, see a vet regarding malnutrition.
Here are some great sites I have found useful and you might too!
The Canary List American Singers Club Pacific American Singers-Chapter 29
The Red Factor Canary Song Canary Homepage The Spanish Timbrado
American Association of Spanish Timbrado Breeders Spanish Timbrado Society of America
Waterslagger Breeders Capitol City Bird Society "A Miracle of Song" Designer Aviaries
Thanks go to:
The New Canary Handbook (Mathew M.
Vriends)
The Canary (Diane Grindol)
Various magazines, breeders (Thank you Ella!), and articles.
