Canary: Bird Species Profile

A canary is a laid-back little charmer that novices typically use. The majority of individuals may become lifetime canary enthusiasts just by seeing this little sparrow. It is a lively companion bird that makes for a delightful experience. Its soothing, melodic tune effectively conveys the message it conveys. The canary has undergone meticulous breeding to produce a range of sizes, colors, and singing styles. Canaries are affordable birds that are available at most pet stores.

Origin and History

Native to Macaronesian islands including the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, the wild canary is a tiny bird. Arriving in Europe via Spanish colonists during the conquest of the Macaronesian islands, they have been bred in captivity since the 17th century. Pet store-sold canaries today differ genetically from their wild canary forebears rather significantly.

Canaries easily cross with other types of finches. This hybridization produces unique canaries. Red canaries, for instance, came from domestic canaries breeding with South American finches called red siskins.

Temperament

Though they enjoy being among people, canaries do not value heavy handling the way budgies and parrots do. The intelligent birds are canaries. Many owners can teach their canary to sit on their hand, go to a perch, or instruct the bird to fly about the house. While most canaries can be trained with proper patience and persistent effort, young birds are simpler to teach.

The canary is a very solitary bird; if kept in a cage by itself, it won’t feel lonely. It can also coexist in an aviary with other little birds. Housing two male canaries together in a single cage would only be a no-no since they would probably fight.

Speech and Vocalizations

Among the most often used varieties of canaries is the song canary. Males, especially, are bred to sing; song canaries are The most often used varieties are the Waterslager, German Roller, Russian Singer, Spanish Timbrado, and American Singer. While males can develop complex songs, female canaries vocalize largely with chirps. During their molting, canaries sing hardly at all.

Canary Colors and Markings

Over much of his body, the wild canary is greenish yellow; his underparts are yellow. Domestic canaries are selectively bred; hence, they come in a variety of brilliant colors: orange, white, red, and yellow. The most often occurring color among domestic canaries is yellow.

Caring for the Canary

A single canary requires a cage with a minimum width of at least twenty inches anda minimum length of 24 inches. These birds enjoy flying; hence, if at all feasible, provide them with a cage longer than it is wide to offer the flight area they need. A pet canary should fly for exercise and never have its wings clipped. To keep the bird from having its head caught between the bars, cage bars should be arranged rather close together—no more than 1/2 inch wide. One can clean wire cages more easily than wood cages.

Around the cage, wood perches with different diameters—3/8 to 3/4 inch—should be arranged to give your canary somewhere to relax and exercise her feet. Using a saw blade or utility knife, whittle notches into the smooth spherical perches to create a somewhat uneven surface. These notches simplify the pole grasp. Variations in perch help maintain the limberty of your bird’s feet. Try not to use sandpaper perch covers. Their feet might hurt your canary.

Although canaries are resilient birds that can be maintained at room temperature, keep the cage away from windows that get direct sunshine, air conditioners, and drafts (the canary may get hot). A canary is heated if you find its mouth open and its wings held away from their body. The bird may be too cold if you find that it is often puffing up.

At least three or four times a week, set out a shallow bowl of water or a specially purchased bath bought from a pet store for the bird to soak in or flit around in.

Cover the cage at night. Canaries rest and perform best in a light/dark cycle that mimics natural settings. Keeping canaries up late at night with artificial light stresses them out and is unhealthy.

Common Health Problems

Usually resulting from a dirty cage, a bad diet, or drafts, rare health problems affecting canaries are Should the bird show baldness, scaly legs, diarrhea, constipation, or lethargy, seek assistance from an avian veterinarian right away since ill birds can lose weight and die very quickly. The second Since canaries are sensitive to air quality, avoid smoking near them or keep them in rooms where solvents emit fumes or cooking vapours.

Certain viruses, fungi, and bacteria can all affect canaries. Among the various treatable bacterial yeast infections they can get are chlamydia, candidiasis, and avian stomach yeast infections. Other bacterial infections that can strike canaries are bumblefoot, which causes foot swelling and sores; mycoplasma, a curable illness causing eye and nasal discharge; and tuberculosis, a non-treatable, fatal lung disease.

Among the viruses that will kill canaries are the polyomavirus and avian pox Usually a deadly fungal infection, Aspergillus may occasionally respond to antifungal therapy.

Diet and Nutrition

Canaries feed in the wild for seeds enhanced by an occasional bug.

Give domestic canaries specifically made quality seed mix (covered with vitamins), tailored for them. Remove the seed hulls of the consumed seeds that scatter across the top layer of bird feeder daily; your canary depends on quick access to its meal. Though it is not as delicious as seeds, you can also present a canary pellet diet. Provide food options in the cage including a bowl of pellets and seeds.

Offer your canary daily doses of vegetable greens such kale, broccoli, dandelions, spinach, celery, peas, and watercress and small amounts of apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, or melons. As a protein boost, toss chunks of a hard-boiled egg.

Your canary has fresh water available always.

Exercise

Canaries must be moving about. Clear its cage of clutter so it has room to roam from one perch to another. A canary is good with just one toy, mirror, or branch in its cage; unlike parrots that call for a lot of enrichment items. If your bird makes use of the birdbath, then splashing about counts as exercise. As a special treat, offer a swing, bells, dangling wooden or acrylic toys.

Once the bird is comfortable with you, let it fly about the room once a day. Its flying time just requires around one hour. Completely oversee its outside cage time. Turn off ceiling fans, close all windows, and keep other pets out of the room.

Where to Adopt or Buy a Canary

While most pet stores carry canaries, you might have to hunt for a breeder if you are searching for a distinctive kind. Though it’s rare to find this easy-to-care-for bird up for adoption, it is worth getting in touch with adoption groups and rescue organizations to see whether canaries are available. Depending on the variety, a canary’s typical price range is $25 to $200. See Adopt a Pet, Petfinder, and Bird Breeders to locate canaries online.

Ask the breeder how long they have been breeding and working with the species you are interested in to ensure they are respectable if you are using the breeder route and then tour the facility.

More Pet Bird Species and Further Research

Should you be drawn to related animals, review:

• The Profile of Zebra Finch Species
• Gouldian Finch: Profile
• Otherwise, look at all of our other little pet bird species.