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Canaries
Canaries are delightful beings and are the most interesting characters to see. They are very social pets and never become very cuddly pet bird. The Canary or Serinus canaria is at times called the Island Canary, Atlantic Canary or Wild Canary. It is a small songbird in the oscine family, native to the Macaronesia area, including, Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands.
History tells us that canaries were first kept in captivity in the 1600s. Later, the birds were brought by Spanish sailors to European countries. They were bred by monks. As only the male canaries were sold because they could sing, it kept the birds short in supply and make their prices in the market increase.
At first, mostly the rich used to own canaries but gradually they made their entry in the homes of the local citizens also and began to breed their, in this way, canaries became immensely popular. It is interesting to note here that in the early days, canaries were used in coal mines as a warning signal. Moreover, as they have an ability to sing most of the time, canaries provided a good audible prove for the release of toxic gases in the mine.
Canary is often identified easily by its bright yellow breast and brown back that has grey stripes. The female is colorful than male and can be easily distinguished. Canary is generally distributed all over the Archipelago of Madeira, islands of Madeira, Desertas and Porto Santo, from the seashore to the higher altitudes.
Canaries are native to the areas of Azores, the Canary Islands and Madeira. It is believed to have been named after the Canary Islands. The canary bird is about 12.5 to 13.5 cms long. They have a wingspan of about 20 to 23 cms and weight of 15 to 20 g. There is yellow green color and brownish blotching on the bird towards its back. Canaries live in the semi-open areas, for example orchards and copses and can be easily noticed nestling in trees or bushes.
Canaries are mainly divided into three groups— Colorbred Canaries, Type Canaries and Song Canaries. Colorbred Canaries are loved for their several color variations such as, Bronze, Brown, Eumo, Ino, Ivory, Mosaic, Onyx, Satinette and others. Type Canaries are made pet for their lovely shape and contour, such as Border, Fife, Berner, Yorkshire and more. Song Canaries have unique song patterns.
So beautiful is the song of canaries that they are even judged in competitions every fall in the months of October and November after the breeding season concludes. Canaries breed in the months of February and March and lay 4 to 6 eggs. The canary bird lays eggs five to six times in an year.
Canaries should be given balanced diet, comprising mainly of 80% canary pellets. You can also find canary seed mix available in the pet shop near you. The supply of green food such as lettuce, dandelion leaves and nasturtium leaves and fruits are best for canaries. Always provide them clean feed free of any chemicals.