Canary bird are famous cage birds used for decoration in homes due to their beautiful appearance and vibrant colors. Let’s delve further into them from teketrek website. What are their types? How do they live and reproduce?
About canary
- The canary belongs to the bird family Fringillidae in the order Passeriformes. Its colorful plumage and continuous vocal strength are attributed to 400 years of selective breeding by humans.
- There are several breeds, known as strains, that continuously produce sounds almost musically, with notes harmonizing together. Some well-known strains include Harz Roller, Norwich, and Yorkshire.
- The average lifespan of a canary in captivity ranges from 10 to 15 years, with some individuals surviving for over 20 years.
The shape and appearance of the canary bird
The canary is a small birds belonging to the finch family (Fringillidae), known for its beautiful plumage and melodious song. It is vertebrate animal, here is a description of the appearance of a canary:
- Typically, a canary’s length ranges from about 10 to 20 centimeters.
- The canary has a small and round body with a small, short, and pointed beak.
- Its feathers come in various beautiful colors, ranging from light yellow to red, orange, white, black, blue, and green. The feathers have a soft and silky appearance.
- It has a short, straight tail that suits its small body size.
- The eyes are usually large, round, and black.
- The canary is known for its beautiful and distinctive song, making it one of the best songbirds in the world of pet birds.
- It has a calm and friendly personality, making it suitable as a pet bird in homes.
Although this is a general description of the canary bird, there is a great diversity in their colors and shapes due to hybridization and selective breeding over the years.
The reason for naming the canary
The canary birds were named after the Spanish Canary Islands, which derive their name from the Latin word “Insula Canaria,” meaning “Island of Dogs.” This name originated from one of the main islands, Gran Canaria, due to “the large number of very large-sized dogs” present there.
Types of canaries
Local canaries are divided into three main groups:
1. Colored canaries, bred due to various color mutations: Eumo, Opal, Satinette, Bronze, Ivory, Onyx, Mosaic, Brown, Red Factor, Green.
2. Wild-type: Darker shades of black and brown melanin in yellow ground birds.
3. Yellow melanin: Mutation that displays a yellow ground color with brown and black pigmentation.
4. Lipochrome Yellow: Mutation resulting in the loss of brown and black pigmentation, leaving the ground color yellow.
According to their shape
canaries are classified into various breeds such as the Australian Plainhead, Berner, Border, Fife, Gibber Italicus, Gloster, Lancashire, Raza Española, Yorkshire, and others.
Based on singing patterns
- canaries are raised for their unique and specific song patterns, including the Spanish Timbrado, the German Roller known as the “Harz Roller,” and the Waterslager known as the “Malinois,” as well as the American Singer, Russian Singer, and Persian Singer.
- While wild canaries typically have a greenish-yellow color, domestic canaries have been selectively bred for a wide range of colors, including yellow, orange, brown, black, white, and red. The introduction of the red color into domestic canaries was achieved through hybridization with the Red Siskin (Spinus cucullatus), a species of bird from South America.
- There is evidence of hybridization between domestic canaries (S. canaria locala) and the Black-chinned Siskin (Spinus barbatus) in captivity.
Canary habitat
- The native habitat of the canary bird is the Canary Islands, Azores, and Madeira, where the wild form is characterized by predominantly brownish-green lines and coloration. Among other members of this genus are the Serin bird found in Europe, the Serinus sulfuratus, or the Sulphur-winged Finch, found in Africa, which is kept as a pet.
- Midway Atoll is also home to the wild yellow canary, with about 500 canaries inhabit Sand Island, retaining their bright yellow plumage.
- There is a domesticated form of the canary known as the domestic canary (Serinus canaria forma locala), which is a domesticated form of the wild canary bird. It is a small singing bird belonging to the finch family, originating from the Micronesian islands of the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands.
Reproduction in canaries
Canary is non mammal animal,the female typically lays around 6 eggs at once, usually laying one egg per day, often in the morning. Canary chicks take about 14 days to hatch without much assistance, after which the mother canary stays with the chicks while the father brings food.
Canary competitions
- Canaries are judged in competitions that follow the annual molting season in the summer, with the show season typically occurring in the northern hemisphere starting in October or November and lasting until December or January.
- Only birds bred by the exhibitor are allowed to be shown. Show birds must have a unique leg band indicating the year of birth, band number, and the club to which the breeder belongs.
- Various types of canary shows are held around the world, with the World Exhibition (C.O.M. – Confederation Ornithologique Mondiale) held in Europe every year attracting thousands of breeders. Approximately 20,000 birds participate in this competition.
Canary mining
In 1928, the head of mining workers, R. Thornburgh, displayed a small cage containing a canary bird used to test for carbon monoxide gas.
Rats were initially used as sniffers to detect carbon monoxide in British coal mining since 1896. In mines, small warm-blooded animals could be affected before miners, as their respiratory system exchanges gases faster than humans.
Rats could be affected by carbon monoxide within minutes, whereas humans had a delay 20 times longer. It was later found that canaries were more sensitive and effective indicators as they showed clearer distress signs, with documented use in mining since 1900. The canaries were sometimes kept in carriers with small oxygen bottles attached to revive them. The use of canaries in British mines was gradually phased out by 1986.
The phrase “canary in a coal mine” is frequently used to refer to someone or something acting as an early warning for an impending crisis. In a similar vein, the term “climate canary” is used to refer to a species called an indicator species that is affected by environmental danger before other species, thus serving as an early warning system for other species regarding the danger.
The Canary in Scientific Research
- Canaries have been used in research to study the formation of nerve cells or the birth of new nerve cells in the adult brain, as well as in basic research to understand how songbirds encode and produce songs. The canaries have served as model species to discover how vertebrate brains learn, enhance memories, and retrieve coordinated motor movements.
- Sometimes, canaries are used to avoid hazardous human testing. They were used by Wazeki and others in 1949 in early tests of insect repellents. Human tests can only provide a limited sample size, and the inherent variability in the response of host and repellent insects is very high.
- Canaries, among other test animals, then provided larger sample sizes at minimal cost.
The Canary Bird in Culture
Canary birds have been depicted in cartoons since the mid-20th century as being harassed by domestic cats, with the most famous cartoon canary being Warner Bros.’ “Tweety.”
Norwich City, an English football team, is nicknamed “The Canaries” because the city was a famous center for breeding and exporting birds. The club adopted the yellow and green colors in homage. Jacob Macley, from Norwich, won several awards with local breed birds and shipped around 10,000 from Norwich to New York annually.
FAQ
The most important frequently asked questions about the canary:
- How many years do canaries live?
The average lifespan of a canary varies depending on its gender and where it lives. The average lifespan of a female pet canary raised in cages is between 5-6 years, while the average lifespan of a male is 10 years.
- When does a canary bird lay eggs?
Spawning a week after mating. Eggs are laid 48 hours after fertilization inside the ovary. Incubation lasts from 13 to 15 days. The number of times eggs are laid per year is 2 to 3 times.
- What should a canary eat?
Cherries, peas, pumpkin, cucumber, cabbage, apples, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach and lettuce
- Is a canary a parrot?
The canary and other finches are a completely different bird from the parrot
- Where do canaries live?
The canary is native to the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira
- Can canaries fly?
Canaries generally fly for about half an hour.
In short, the canary, a bird species, that reproduces by laying eggs, has been used in mining and has had a significant impact on various cultures.
