Interesting Canary Bird Information

People maintain a diverse array of animals in their homes as pets. Others might rather have rabbits or birds as pets, while some others are more partial to larger animals like cats and dogs. In this article, we will get all the Canary bird information.

The Canaries are members of the finch family. The Canaries can be broken into three subspecies, each bred for distinctive characteristics. Song Canaries are bred specifically for their stunning vocal abilities, while colour Canaries are selected for their eye-catching colouration. There is a third form of Canary known as the type Canary. This type of Canary is bred for particular characteristics, such as size or feathers.

Canary Bird Information: History of Canary Birds

Canary birds originated in the Canary Islands, located off the West coast of Africa. Spanish sailors first bred the birds in the 17th century. These sailors brought the bird to Europe, where it instantly became popular. Initially, these birds were raised very exclusively and not distributed much, but there was an immense demand for these in Europe. This made them very expensive. Later, Italians bred the bird in numbers and made them widely available. 

Canary Bird Images

Here are a few Canary bird images :

Different Types of Canary Birds

Canary Yellow Birds

Canary Yellow Birds

Blue Canary Bird

Canary Blue Bird

Red-Factor Canary

Red-factor Canary

Why are Canary Birds So Popular?

Canary birds are popular for two primary characteristics: their colours and their singing. Canary is available in various colours like blue, orange, yellow, red, and others colours. However, Canary yellow birds and blue Canary birds are the most in demand.

People also seek canaries as pets because of their ability to sing melodious songs and their colourful appearance. However, only the male Canary bird is capable of singing. The female bird only chirps. Male Canaries sing to woo female canaries. Different types of Canaries are bred for singing different types of songs.

There is another reason these birds became popular. Canary birds can easily detect the presence of Carbon Monoxide. The US, UK, and Canadian coal miners exploited this ability of the Canary bird. However, this is very dangerous for the birds, and this practice eventually stopped.

Canary birds have a comparatively long life span of approximately 15 years. They are comparatively low maintenance. They can survive for a long time if they are well-maintained. They can be fed fruits, seeds, eggs, and vegetables. 

Interesting Facts About Canary Birds

Here are some of the interesting facts about canary birds:

1. They Are Territorial

The Canaries are very territorial birds. This means they should not be kept in pairs. They become aggressive in the presence of other Canaries, especially male Canaries.

2. There Are Competitions for Canaries

Canaries compete in specialised championships hosted by organisations dedicated to the professional study of birds. The judges are experts in the field and use carefully designed criteria to guide their evaluations of each breed's singing.

3. They Can Learn Songs

Like parrots, Canaries have a remarkable ability to memorise and reproduce intricate melodies and imitate human speech.

4. There Are No Solid-coloured Birds in the Wild

You may be curious about the origin of the colour's name, "Canary yellow," as it is widely used in various applications, including textiles and art supplies. It should come as no surprise that the name was derived from the namesake songbird and its loved, bright yellow hue. However, what you probably didn't know is that the rich colours of a Canary can indicate whether or not it is a domesticated or wild bird. Like the Canary yellow birds, solid-coloured Canaries do not occur naturally in the wild. Breeders purposely bred solid-coloured Canaries to be pets, and the popularity of the musically adept bird inspired the name of this particular shade of yellow.

5. Dogs and Canaries are Related!

The Canary Islands are said to have been given its name after an indigenous chief surveyed the region in the first century and discovered that a pack of wild dogs inhabited the largest islands. Due to this, the chief gave the island the name Canaria, derived from the Latin word for dog, which is 'canis.' After several years, people who had heard the wild Canary birds singing their songs all through the trees started collecting them and giving them the nickname Canaries.

Summary

In this article, we learnt about the Canaries. The Canaries were domesticated around 300 years ago. Since then, they have been bred in varieties of colours. Only domesticated Canaries are available in solid colours. They last for around 15 years. They can sing well. We hope you like the information presented in this article. Do you have a Canary bird as a pet? Then, do observe their colour and features discussed here.