Canary

From Freepedia

Canary

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Fringillidae
Genus:	Serinus
Species:	canaria

Binomial name

Serinus canaria
(Linnaeus, 1758)

For other uses, see Canary (disambiguation).

The Canary (Serinus canaria) is a small songbird which is a member of the finch family.

This bird is native to Madeira and the Canary Islands; it was named for the latter, although the name of the island group comes from the Latin word for dog, "cannariae," given by the Romans in reference to the numerous wild dogs that lived there.

Its habitat is semi-open areas such as orchards and copses, where it nests in bushes or trees.

The wild bird is 12.5 to 13.5 cm long, yellow-green, with streaking on its back. It is larger, longer and less contrasted than its relative the Serin, and has more grey and brown in its plumage.

The song is a silvery twittering like the Goldfinch.

Pet Canaries

Canaries were first bred in captivity in the 1600's. They were brought over by Spanish sailors to Europe. Monks started breeding them and only sold the males (which sing). This kept the birds in short supply and drove the price up. Eventually Italians obtained hens and were able to breed the birds themselves. This made them very popular and resulted in many breeds arising and the birds being bred all over Europe.

The same occurred in England. First the birds were only owned by the rich but eventually the local citizens started to breed them and, again, they became very popular. Many breeds arose through selective breeding.

Canaries are generally divided into three main groups: Colorbred Canaries (bred for their many color mutations - Ino, Eumo, Satinette, Bronze, Ivory, Onyx, Mosaic, Brown, etc.), Type Canaries (bred for their shape and conformation - Border, Fife, Gloster, Gibber Italicus, Raza Española, Berner, Lancashire, Yorkshire, etc.), and Song Canaries (bred for their unique and specific song patterns - Spanish Timbrado, Roller, Waterslager (also known as "Malinois"), American Singer, Russian Singer, Persian Singer).

Canaries are judged in competitions every fall. Shows generally begin in October and November after the breeding season ends. Birds can only be shown by the person who raised them. They all have unique bands on their legs that indicate the year of birth, the unique band number, the club to which the breeder belongs. Song Canaries are judged later in the year (January).

There are many canary bird shows all over the world. The world show (C.O.M.) is held in Europe each year and attracts thousands of breeders. As many as 20,000 birds are brought for competiton.

The keeping of Canaries for their appearance and song is a tradition that dates back centuries.

Canaries were once regularly used in coal mining as an early warning system. Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and methane in the mine would kill the bird before affecting the miners. Because canaries tend to sing much of the time, they provided both a visual and audible cue in this respect. The use of canaries in British mines was phased out as recently as 1986.

Canaries are often depicted in cartoons from the middle 20th century as being harassed by domestic cats; the most famous cartoon canary is Warner Brothers' "Tweety Bird".

The pet canary requires a mixed diet for optimum health. In addition to the canary seed mix available in pet shops, they also benefit from a supply of green food such as lettuce, dandelion leaves and nasturshum leaves. However, too much green food can upset their digestion and care should be taken to ensure leaves supplied are clean and have not been sprayed with any chemicals. Canaries also enjoy little bits of fruit. During the moulting period it is advisable to supplement their diet with egg food (can be bought as a dry mix to which water is added until a crumbly but not soggy consistency is achieved).

To ensure caged birds are happy, toys should be provided and swapped regularly to avoid boredom (which can lead to aggression and feather plucking). When buying pet canaries, great care must be taken to ensure the right mix of sexes in a cage. A mistake could lead to the birds attacking each other, even to the extent that one may kill another. If a bird is present in the home and a companion is bought, the companion must be in a separate cage for a couple of weeks both for quarantine and to ensure the birds get used to each other; the new bird can then gradually be introduced to ensure that no fighting ensues. A male and female will usually get along if introduced in this way. Two males are very rarely happy together, although keeping them permanently in separate cages will prompt them to sing. A cage with a number of males may work as long as no female is present.

Male canaries can mimic sounds such as telephone ring tones and door bell chimes but only if they hear these sounds while young. Canaries can be tought tricks over time but great patience is required as they are fairly timid birds. To get the birds to play with toys, toys must be safely constructed (no sharp edges or parts the bird's feet could become entangled upon).

If pet canaries become ill they will rapidly lose weight and this is why it is essential to treat disease as quickly as possible. It is wise to have glucose powder and an eye dropper in store to administer drops of diluted solution via the beak if a canary stops eating. Common household hazards include fumes from the kitchen (cooking fumes and especially fumes from non-stick pans)- canaries should never be kept in a kitchen for this reason. They are also sensitive to smoke from cigarettes, aerosol sprays such as deoderant, air freshener and polish. Plug in air fresheners/ stand-alone fan fresheners are very toxic to them also. Avoid placing them where they could get cold, or in full glare of sunlight without providing a screened area. Always cover mirrors and windows when you let your canary out for exercise as they may fly into them and break their neck. A number of houseplants/cut flowers are very poisonous to canaries (as are herbs), so never let them nibble leaves (safe plants include spider plants and boston ferns). Clean water must be available for drinking and separate water should be made available for bathing in (before 2pm so they get time to dry). Canaries love bathing and it improves their feather condition, especially during the moult.

Food dishes/cage parts can be safely sterilised in baby-bottle fluid such as diluted Milton. When it comes to disease, prevention is better than cure. Canaries should be examined for mites and, if mites are found (especially easy to spot around the neck and rump) they can be treated with over-the-counter medication (canary mites don't bite humans). Abnormalities of the skin and feet may be caused by mites and this can also be treated with over-the-counter pet medication.

Excellent sources of further reading include David Alderton's book Birds Care and You and your pet bird, The Canary Handbook and Canaries, both published by Barrons, Health Care for Birds by Tim Hawcroft and Fife Canaries by James Blake. A good web group for advice is Fife Canary Group on Yahoo.