how to determine the sex of the canaries

How to determine the sex of the canaries
Many hobies confused in choosing walnuts going to be purchased, it is very difficult to distinguish the views of posture and some even directly buy the sight of the body and straight after arriving home and maintained approximately 3 months of their new confused, how canaries I do not sounds mas. komplainlah them to the bird sellers.


Male and female characteristics
Although determining the sex of a walnut is not an easy thing and those who are already experienced too much difficulty, but there are tips that can be used (but not the absolute thing):

Since the age of 3 days veins on the belly will go down to the "vent (vent / anus) and going towards the front of the" vee "which is at the front of the" vent, is evident in the canary young males. But these veins will not appear on the female canary. Although these vessels exist throughout canary males, it would be better if the male canary analyze it before the growing feather.
At 5- 8 days, take all children walnuts found in the same nest (the breeders) to put towels and align like racehorses existing position on the racetrack. Who jumped the farthest is the canary males.
The birds if the note has a long lower legs centers while others have a 3 foot which has the same length. One that has a foot long center would be difficult to join the others and this is a male canary. Female canary easier to join as third soles of his feet have the same size.
Look at the part of their spine. Along the spine of male canary color is more rigid and more concentrated. For females the color is rigid and concentrated not up along the spine. That way it can be identified.
Before children are hairy walnuts. Look into their head. For the males more flat (flat) .For that females are more rounded.
Around the age of 6-7 days the canary children begin to open eyes. If the male then his eyes level with his beak. For females, half of which lies above the eye causing his head more rounded look.
When children canaries fed by its mother in the nest. Notice the behavior childrens. The highest standing, shouted the loudest and most want to be fed first it means the male. Females with shorter legs so they do not stand high and hence they are fed less than the male.
Age 28- 30 days some young canaries seen practicing their voices to sing well. Twitter is not the earliest that looks the best, just like the second bird chirping early practice only.
About 5 months or 5 months 2 weeks, walnuts males usually lighter color. in certain parts of the colors sharper particular section near the head. Center head on female canary yellow will be very bright.
Should the age of 6 months have not caught species sex, canaries mixed among canaries then. Canary female will sit lower is due to the structure of the body. And also usually a female canary will be fighting with the male canary when it wants to sing or practice his voice. Although the females in a state of not being in the egg-laying period and it just wants to sing alone ..
 
Given the many varieties of canaries being developed at this time, then to choose canaries must be adapted to its purpose. Namely, whether to choose canaries posture (type canary), canary singer (song canary), walnut color (color canary), or a mixture of that type, or only important random canaries . If you want a canaries with a great song, of course, can choose canaries type singer. As for the good posture, you can choose canaries posture. While opting for canaries color, so stay determined based on the color you like.

Only, you can choose canaries in general are usually favored today. That is the great posture and a good song. For this option, you can of course choose canaries result of crosses between different sub-species, such as cruciferous Yorkshire with Waterslager, or Yorkshire with Spanish Timbrado and others.
 
Tips selections:Canaries  fighting style based on body shape and condition of the wing where the fighting style canaries can be classified into three types.
Open style wings down ½ or only down slightly, with the head-shaking menggelang just right-left (which he calls the style of Steve Wonder).
Open style wings down fully to the bottom, while the street fighting model with right-left.
Style open wings towards the front, while the street fighting model with right-left.

Style 1, usually done by a walnut-walnut with overall body look disproportionate and, if in a state of normal / not in action, the two wings meet intersect to form a pair of scissors and therefore, the distance between multiple wingtip with the base of the tail is relatively far away (do not touch). When viewed from above the body looks like a rectangle with a ratio of length: width = 3: 1.Style 2, usually done by walnut with a proportional body, long and when viewed from above the body looks like a rectangle with a ratio of length: width = 4: 1; The second bristle tip parallel to the rear wing, straight.
Style 3, together with the characteristics of the owner of style 2, denagn difference on the wing, the tip of the wing feathers aligned toward the back but somewhat down fall.
Canaries quickly the sound based on the thickness of the fur:Canaries with thick fur (which he termed "dual feather") tend to be long to be able to sing to the fullest.Canaries with thin hair (which he termed "a feather") is faster reads the achievement of the maximum track.Canaries quickly the sound based on the dominant color of fur:Canaries has a bright dominant colors (white, yellow, orange) tend to be long to be able to sing to the fullest.Canaries which do not have a bright dominant colors (white, yellow, orange) faster reads the achievement of the maximum track.
 
Strengths and weaknesses based on the thickness canary feathers:Canaries woolly / duplex can be with a twisted rendition that sounded clearer than the hairy canary / thin because the sound carries just a little ditingkahi style (either wing, and the right-left).
Thin hairy canary more agile and can be styled by relying gunshots.
 
How to care
Cage:Canaries should be placed in a large cage size of 45 x 45 x 50 cm with perch given a diameter of 1 cm of coarse wood but not sharp, such as for example the acid timber. Perch can be made duplex, with two perch above and one below.
 
Feed:
The main thing to note in terms of feed was varied menu so that the adequacy of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Good feed, in addition to a complete nutrient such as protein, carbohydrates, also full of vitamins such as vitamin A, D3, E, B1, B2, B3 (Nicotimanide) B6, B12, C and K3. Moreover, it should also contain essential substances such as DL Methionine, I-Lysine HCl, Folic Acid (actually is a form of Vitamin B) and Ca-D
In addition to vitamins, minerals should also be sufficient. Minerals are needed in the formation of blood and bone, body fluid balance, healthy nerve function, the function of cardiovascular system and others. Such as vitamins, minerals function as co-enzymes, allowing the body to perform functions such as producing energy, growth and healing.

Which includes the necessary minerals canaries are Calcium, Phosphorous, Iron, Manganase, iodine, Cuprum, Zinccum, Magnesium, Sodium and Potassium Chlorine.
 
Food suitable for canariesGrains Mix. The main feed these birds are canary seed. But we can give a grain that has been mixed which is sold in the market.
Vegetables and fruits. Canaries birds are very fond of vegetables and fruits such as: lettuce, leaf lettuce, squash, cucumbers, paprica, carrots, apples, pears, corn.
Eggs and Kroto. In certain circumstances, this second feed is needed to support the growth, vitality organ functions canaries.
Pickles. To meet calcium needs, these birds require additional calcium intake. Cuttlefish bone can be given to supplement calcium needed.
Crusty bread. Besides the above fond of feed-feed, bird Canaries also like crusty bread (do not give dry bread that contain high salt and sugar) ..

Daily care and daily settings
Daily care for a canary relatively similar to other species of birds chirping, the key to the success of the daily care that is routine and consistent.
This follows the pattern of daily care and daily settings for canaries:

• 07.00 aerated birds on the patio. 07.30 bird bath (shower or spray cages, depending on the habits of each bird)
• Clean the cage daily. Replace or add Feed and Water.
• Give fresh vegetables or fruit.
• The drying can be done for 1-2 hours / day starting at 8:00 to 11:00. During drying, the bird should not see a kind of bird.
• Once dried, winds back the bird diteras for 10 minutes, then cage dikerodong.
• Noon until late afternoon (10:00 to 15:00 hours) birds can dimaster with the sound of birds master or masters.
• 15:30 hours aerated birds back diteras, may be washed if necessary.
• Control Feed, Water, Vegetables and Fruits.
• 18.00 birds back dikerodong and perdengarkan sound master during the rest period until the next morning.

Important

• Fresh Kroto given 1 teaspoon maximum of 2x a week.
• Quail eggs can be provided 2x a week.
• Variation of fresh vegetables and fruits is the key to success in the treatment of canaries.
• Pickles must always be available within the cage.
• Pengumbaran umbaran can be done at home to 4 hours per day for 4 days a week.
• Give Multivitamins mixed in drinking water once a week.

Handling canaries over lust

• Give Cucumber for 2 days in a row
• Frequency shower made more frequently, for example, early in the afternoon and evening
• The duration of drying was reduced to 30 minutes / day alone
• Pengumbaran time made more frequent and longer

Handling canary drop conditions

• Give apple 4 days in a row
• Expand mixture Lin Seed, Niger Seed and seed Fumayin on feed grains.
• Increase the portion of the provision Kroto to 3x a week
• Bath once made 2 days
• Bird immediately isolated, do not see and hear the other Canary bird advance
• The duration of drying was increased to 2-3 hours / day.
• Give Metabolism (Many of the birds sold in store)

KENARI HANDLING FOR COMPETITION
Race care is actually not much different from the daily maintenance. The goal of treatment at this stage is to prepare the bird for having the desired level of desire and has the stamina stable. The key to success is to know a good race care basic character of each bird.
This follows the pattern of care and setting the race for canaries

• H-3 before the race, give apples interspersed Kroto.
• H-2 before the race, the birds should be dried in a maximum of 30 minutes.
• 1 hour before the race bushel, give bird quail eggs.

Important
Preferably, from H-6 birds isolated. Do not get to see and hear the sound of other canaries.
Treatment and post-race canary suit
Post-race care actually serves to restore stamina and physical condition of the bird.

• Care and settings restored to their daily feed.
• Multivitamins provide drinking water to H + 1 after the contest.
• To H + 3 after the competition, maximum of 30 minutes drying ...

Care and canary suit moult
Moult (moulting) is a period of very demanding attention bird hobbyist. Feathers are lost and replaced during molt moult or absorb 25% of the total protein in the bird's body. This is why during the moult is necessary to add protein also by a quarter of the total protein in the body of the bird.

Feathers and fur sleeve consists of more than 90% proteins, particularly proteins called keratins. Different feather protein with a protein in the body and eggs as well as require a disproportionate number of different on amino acids (of cells or blocks of protein). Birds should be eating foods containing the amino acids of this kind then absorb and stored as a protein (keratin) specifically for the purposes of hair growth. This process is very important for birds and bird's body must work extra to get enough nutrition to form a perfectly feather.

When the birds moult, they also require a large amount of energy to produce new hair. The energy requirements needed to meet the needs of the protein, causing the birds must consume more food during moult in order to sustain the growth of new feathers. For information only, the energy required during the moult birds for two and a half times more than the birds are producing eggs (see for example the explanation in "Moulting in Bird" on the site vetafarm.com the main reference for the article on the issue this moult).

Factors that influence the moult can not be fully understood, because it is very complex. Age of birds, while the moult season, daily weather, hormone levels and breeding cycle, all the determining factor for the success or failure of birds passing through moult.

The main thing to remember is that when the birds moult, you must provide adequate food supply so that they can develop feathers as perfect as possible.

To provide the protein needed for the increased production of fur, you have to increase the sulfur-containing amino acids such as methionine and cystine. Such proteins can be found in animal flesh. Meat can be given to most birds in moult in a small amount plus supplements good food. Multivitamin and multimineral supplement that is supposed to contain a variety of vitamins and minerals and amino acids to allow for normal hair growth.

Although generally moult run normally, there are some things that are often disturb the birds moult, particularly the uneven hair growth or even no hair does not fall out (just nyulam).

Interference include:

• Disease - Diseases caused by viruses circovirus (Beak and Feather Disease) and polyoma virus is the most common disease that causes difficulty producing bird feathers. Psittacosis chronic, parasitic disorders and bacterial infections of the intestine may also cause plumage difficult to grow.
• Malnutrition - As described above, the requirements for the production of fur in the normal course of it very much, and hence the same unbalanced diet can cause hair growth that is not qualified (easily broken, easily dull, twist / curly and so on).
• Chemically - the use of chemicals often cause hair to grow is not perfect or even damage the fur. One example is the worm in the pigeon repellent substances, known as mebendazole. These chemicals will cause bird feathers twist when administered during the birds moult.
• Stress - This happens especially to birds that fed / loose with human hands. Human hands causing new hair can not develop fully and so forth.

What you need to do in order to be able to have a new fur birds as possible?

• First of all get rid of all worms, lice, nuisance microbes and other parasites.
• Second, make sure none of your birds become carriers of the virus germs, eg Polyoma.
• Third, provide adequate nutrition for the birds molt / moult with a nice feed. Just keep in mind that good food does not mean that a lot of feed, because too much food that contains only carbohydrates, for example, will only make the birds malnutrition even though the physical look fat.

If you have done all of the above and are still having problems with the quality of fur you need to speak with a veterinarian bird special.Treatment moult patterns:

• Place the bird in a quiet place, away from human traffic. The bird should be in cover the cage with a cloth conditions.
• Was pretty 1x a week and drying a maximum of 30 minutes / day.
• Provision of additional food portions given more because it is indispensable for the formation of new cells and for the growth of new hair. For example: Add beans nger sed, vary the provision of fresh vegetables and fruit.
• Give multivitamin quality drinking water that is mixed in.

Perform create a master. Moult make the bird more at rest and heard. This is the time to fill out the sound variations in accordance with what we want. Perform create a master appropriately, adjust the sound character and the type of bird to bird sound master.

Canary Birds

Canary origin
Canaries for the first time discovered by a French sailor, namely Jean de Berthan Cout in the Canary Islands area around the 15th century ago. He made amazed the beauty of feathers and bird's voice sweetly. The canary has the Latin name Serinus Canaria. Diversity of canaries at this point is the result of development of the wild canary. Besides natural conditions and crossbreeding that occurs produces various types of walnuts which have occurred since the 5th century ago.
Canary name has absolutely nothing to do with walnut, but the name is taken from the name of the island which is the original habitat of the canaries, namely the Canary Islands. While the islands' name is derived from the Latin word which means island canarias dog, because a lot of stray dogs that live on these islands in ancient times immemorial.

Types of Canaries
There are many variants of the canaries, but only a few are popular among bird lovers. And following a review of the types of Canaries.

Border canaries
It is said that it is a kind of canary very popular among types of canaries. Border bird comes from the location of the border in England and Scotland. canary comes from cumberland luxury types. Border canary reaches a body length of about 14 cm. His trademark is to have a round shape as seen from any angle. Characteristic of this type canaries are her round so easy to judge when the race.
 
Gloster canaries
This type canaries body shape measuring no more 11 centimeters. And usually in the competition arena, canary Gloster body should not be more than 11 centimeters. The characteristics are striking in these birds is the color of the feathers are yellow, and its wings a little green, and the color of the tail are white, canary Gloster there also has crested, and it is called with walnuts Gloster Corona, while those not having crested called with Walnuts Gloster Consort.
 
Norwich canaries
The canary bird has its own history. Flam nation that maintains a weaver bird fled to England, to avoid the massacre of the Spanish. They live in the Norwich area in norflok (UK). They who preserve this bird. Norwich canary canaries today is interesting. This bird has a group of fur is thick and has a completely spherical shape. With a broad chest, short back wide, short wings and a short tail and short half-life as well. This bird has a green warnah interesting. These rare birds are white in color and length between 15-16 centimeters
 
Cinnamon canaries
These birds have in common with walnuts norwich and classified as avian interesting because it has all-round shape with a broad chest short back tail and beak wingspan short too long of these birds between 15-16 cm. And these birds are considered a type of beauty fur. Many bird lovers who believe that this is a kind of canary that has the most delicate feather compared with other types of canaries.
 
Yorkshire canaries
This bird is a hybrid canaries canary Lancashire and Belgium, the shape of this bird is sometimes depicted as a carrot upside down and have a habit of standing tall with long legs. This bird species is a species of bird that is most favored by bird lovers as a very melodious chirping. The bird's body length of about 15 to 17 centimeters

Lancashire canaries
Mentioned that the walnut is the largest species in this inggris.jenis now rarely found in its original form. These birds are more in crosses with other species to obtain offspring a big man. This kind of there having a crest which has the designation Lancashire coppy and there is also a plain head which called Lancashire plain head.

Waterslager canaries
Famous canary voice loud, loud but fun. The body length of about 16 cm this bird with cat fur tends to be dominant with soft textured. And beak looks sharper than other types of canaries. Often females incubate the eggs and lazy to overfeed their children, but males help incubate the eggs and take to overfeed their children.

Fife Fancy canary
Walnut is classified as a new species, this bird is the same shape as a walnut London Fancy, only smaller in size with the wings and tail feathers are white. The length of this bird is not more than 11 cm is very easy .Burung farmed fur and can provide a very wide variety. This is similar to the canaries canary border.

Scotch Fancy canaries
This type of bird among bird enthusiasts in the country of England, known as the Bird name O Circle. Because the formation of the head to the tail end during the competition semicircular. Scot Fancy bird has a small head is round little head canaries Belgium, slender neck and a long, but narrow shoulders fully charged and rounded, wings long and firmly attached to the body and long legs strong.

Roller canaries
Roller canary types descendant of German bred canaries in the Hartz Mountains. About 400 families farming on a large scale. This walnut dominate species of birds chirping canaries are good.

Crest canaries
Crested canary is already around 1950, and therefore is classified as a canary older types from other types of canaries. Beginning of this bird is known by the name Turn crown, and at the beginning of this century was known as the King of the fancy (King fantasy). The hallmark of this canary, amid his head expands forward to the beak almost covering her eyes, toward the back of the head also has a large shape and thick with dense and soft fur.

Frill canaries
This type of bird is classified as a large-bodied birds, because the length is 20 cm and is known as the canary Netherlands.

Spanish Timbrado canaries
This bird species is a type of canary chirping of new varieties developed in Spain around 1940 and 1950. The shape of the body resembles the shape of the original wild canary.

American Singer canaries
This type of bird is a cross between a canary border with roller canaries. This type of bird called a kind of canary best in terms of appearance as well as booms.

Lizard canaries
The canary bird species was nearly extinct in the 1900s due to the world war and pestilence. Length of this bird is approximately 14 cm and the characteristic of this bird had a feather pattern which resembles a lizard scales in yellow and white domination


Belgian Fancy canaries
This bird species is a species of bird that emphasizes appearance than voice or booms. The appearance of this bird looks like a bird with the head of a small defect like a snake. The downside of this kind of birds are they not good at incubating eggs and raising children.

Color breed Canary
This is a kind of canary bird species is very agile and has a variety of striking colors. And these birds including species of birds most famous in the world, and also birds is relatively easy in maintenance.

Canary Bird Care Tips
1. Train voice
Every spare moment, please try compare canaries with others who have voiced clever. If no, you can simply buy the tape so more easily. Add both worked mornings in because birds can more easily voice.
Do not try to bring canaries juxtaposed in because these can have an influence on your walnuts. Enough alone make itself heard. When you have been a little long, about one or two weeks juxtaposed, then do not keep. Enough 2-3 times in one week.


2. Drying
Absolute drying must be done every day. Canary should be dried within a reasonable time. 06 the time interval 00-11. 00 pm come on very sufficient for drying. Do not give too much to eat and drink while basking in because can have an influence on the sound.
Work drying in a large area or a large cage so the bird can freely move.
After drying is completed, away from sunlight For cooling. Wait until the bird situation not struggling. After that, give sufficient and nutritious food, like red apples, bananas, and other fresh fruit. Do not have time in the feed while drinking. When he finished eating, drinking and give the new water strived been cooked.

3. Food additives and vitamins
To lure in order to add his voice better yet, give vitamins to beverages obtained. This vitamin is sold in the market, like type Super chirping or Vitasol.

Farming guide Walnuts
Afdol not feel when having canary of superior offspring but not farmed. If only just maintain it, it's no challenge. True admirers walnuts, can be challenged to cultivate collection.
Indeed bird breed is not so difficult. Especially canaries can be farmed by small size simple enclosure. Besides, walnuts very productive adult females spawn, spawn once yielded 5 grains. Therefore very hurt when admirer walnut only just maintain it. Under this quick guide breeding canaries: Means of facilities need to be provided to the mating system of canary some of them prepare mating cages, cage in is equipped with a dining area and drink, two nest boxes in the given hay or pieces of paper. Candidate sires determination canary breeders, specify an adult. The ideal age walnuts ready to marry is 8 bln. until 3 th .. Differences in male and female canary is very recognizable. Male canaries posture generally smaller and slimmer than the female canary. In the male half is not thick, but somewhat thin female canary bit. Of the chirp, male canaries harder and varied, not the same as a female canary monotonous. The next step is pairing . Female canary cages hold his pace and canary males, so that both can both see and touch. When a mate is generally both are equally close, as well as related. The time has been positive both get along and be paired. The next step is to enter into the cage of marriage that has been provided. Let up to two or five days there. Observe carefully whether the 2nd sires were familiar and equally making out. Generally when the mate, the females can arrange nest eggs, by tearing fibers or paper. Once when laying female can lay out three to five eggs. Incubating the work done by females as well as males. The good moment while incubating, feeding should be noticed right. Feed and drinking water do not have time empty. After two weeks when the incubation, the eggs can hatch. Perhaps not all the eggs successfully orders yet, there are one or two items that failed. The bird chicks along 1bulan under the care of breeding females. Female breeders always overfeed feed her children. After 1 month old child ren walnuts can be separated from the sires and entered the cage enlargement.

Belgium Canary

 The Belgian Fancy Canary was a most important breed in the historic development of some of the most popular canary varieties available today. Its primary influence was on the development of "frilled" and "position" type breeds. As a "type canary" it is bred for physical appearance rather than color or song. They are categorized as "birds of position" and the body and hump posture form an inverted half moon. Similar birds of position, also bred for this type, include the Scotch Fancy Canary and the Italian Gibber Italicus.

   A good Belgian Fancy Canary requires a considerable amount of training to show well. This long thin bird is trained to stand in a hunched over perched position. A bird for a more advanced enthusiast, it is timid and tends to be nervous and high strung. It is also a little harder to breed than most colorbred birds and it is not the best feeder of its young.

Scientific Name: Serinus canaria domesticus

Distribution
The Belgian Canary is one of the oldest canary breeds. It took the Flemish a century to develop it from the Old Dutch Canary of the eighteenth century. Though there were canaries developed in various color varieties, this was reportedly the first canary breed absolutely distinct from its predecessors in body size and shape. It was then extensively used to develop other breeds including the frills, the Scotch Fancy, the Lancashire, and the Yorkshire canaries.

In its earlier history it was a popular bird. Oorganizations were devoted to it in Belgium in the 1800's, later it was highly prized by fanciers in Britian, and even a specialist society was devoted to it in the United States in the middle of the 19th century. However, the Belgian Canary's popularity was severely arrested with the advent of two world wars, bringing it very close to extinction.

Description
The Belgian Fancy Canary is bred for its type, body and hump, and is known as a "bird of position". It is a long thin bird trained to stand in a hunched over perched position, its back and tail being straight and perpendicular to the perch. It has a small head and a slender neck, broad high shoulders, and when seen from the back its body forms a triangular shape. It will reach an average length of about 6 3/4 inches (17 cm).

The feathers should be neat and smooth, and they can be found in colors of buff, green, white, and yellow. For showing, this bird should have no red factor in its feathers.

Care and feeding
Canaries like wide open spaces so provide a roomy cage. Provide a cage with vertical bars and small perches of different size for foot exercise. Have at least 1 perch set high in the cage for the canary to roost (sleep). The cage should be placed high, so the canary can look down on us so to speak.

Canaries eat mainly canary seed and rape seed. Vitamin coated canary seed mixes are readily available at a pet store. Greens are also enjoyed and can be offered daily along with a little calcium in the form of a cuttlebone.
They do like to bath, so should be offered a bird bath. Cage cleaning and toe nail trimming is about all the maintenance canaries need.

Social Behaviors
They are good-natured social creatures that do well when kept in cages or in aviaries. They are timid birds though and should not be housed with parakeets, lovebirds, or other hookbills that tend to be more aggressive birds by nature.
Male canaries should be kept in a cage by themselves to ensure quality singing. Males can be territorial and pairing up with two male canaries in a cage can cause fights. In a spacious aviary canaries can generally be housed with other canaries, finches, and other hardbills.

Activities
Canaries do not require toys, mirrors or any other form of entertainment, a swing is all they need to keep themselves occupied. Most of the time canaries are simply enjoyed for their beauty and singing. However, some canaries are allowed out of their cage to perch or are show canaries and therefore require taming or training.

Breeding/Reproduction
Most canaries breed easily and readily if provided with quality food, lighting, secure surroundings, and conditioning. They are best bred in breeding cages.They lay their eggs in a nest. The female will lay 3 to 6 eggs, one per day. It is best to allow a hen to have only two clutches.
A Belgian Fancy Canary is a timid bird and tends to be nervous and high strung. It is not a free breeder, making it a little harder to breed than most canaries. It is also not the best feeder, so many breeders will foster the eggs out to other canaries.

Potential Problems
These birds are hardy and healthy if provided with a good environment and a good diet. Avoid an environment that is wet, cool, and drafty.
Availability:    Belgian Fancy Canaries are a specialty bird with prices starting at about $60 US and up. They are fairly rare, most often available through specialty breeders, but may also occasionally be found through bird shows, bird clubs, and on the internet.

Domestic canary

Domestic canary
The Domestic canary, often simply known as the canary, (Serinus canaria forma domestica) is a domesticated form of the wild canary, a small songbird in the finch family originating from the Macaronesian Islands (Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands).

Canaries were first bred in captivity in the 17th century. They were brought over by Spanish sailors to Europe. This bird became expensive and fashionable to breeding in courts of Spanish and English kings. 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, and they are still very popular today for their voice.
 
Etymology
The birds are named after Spain's Canary Islands, which derive their name from the Latin Insula Canaria (after one of the larger islands, Gran Canaria), meaning "island of dogs", due to its "vast multitudes of dogs of very large size".
 
Varieties
Canaries are generally divided into three main groups:

• Colorbred canaries (bred for their many colour mutations - ino, eumo, satinette, bronze, ivory, onyx, mosaic, brown and red factor etc.)
• Type canaries (bred for their shape and conformation - Australian Plainhead, Berner, Border, Fife, Gibber Italicus, Gloster, Lancashire, Raza Española, Yorkshire, etc.)
• Song canaries (bred for their unique and specific song patterns - Spanish Timbrado, German Roller (also known as Harz Roller), Waterslager (also known as "Malinois"), American Singer, Russian Singer, Persian Singer).

While wild canaries are a yellowish-green colour, domestic canaries have been selectively bred for a wide variety of colours, such as yellow, orange, brown, black, white, and red. (The colour red was introduced to the domesticated canary through hybridisation with the red siskin, a type of South American finch.)
 
Competitions
Canaries are judged in competitions following the annual molt in the summer. This means that in the Northern Hemisphere the show season generally begins in October or November and runs through December or January. Birds can only be shown by the person who raised them. A show bird must have a unique band on its leg indicating the year of birth, the band number, and the club to which the breeder belongs.

There are many canary 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 together for this competition.
 
Miner's canary
Canaries were once regularly used in coal mining as an early warning system. Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, methane or carbon dioxide in the mine would kill the bird before affecting the miners. Signs of distress from the bird indicated to the miners that conditions were unsafe. The use of miners' canaries in British mines was phased out in 1987.

The phrase "canary in a coal mine" is frequently used to refer to a person or thing which serves as an early warning of a coming crisis. By analogy, the term climate canary is used to refer to a species that is affected by an environmental danger prior to other species, thus serving as an early warning system for the other species with regard to the danger. 
 
Use in research
Canaries have been extensively used in research to study neurogenesis, or the birth of new neurons in the adult brain, and also for basic research in order to understand how songbirds encode and produce song. Thus, canaries have served as model species for discovering how the vertebrate brain learns, consolidates memories, and recalls coordinated motor movements.

Fernando Nottebohm, a professor at the Rockefeller University in New York City, New York, detailed the brain structures and pathways that are involved in the production of bird song.

Types of Canaries

Types of Canaries
Canaries, birds known for both beauty and song, have been popular pets for many centuries. Hundreds of different canary breeds exist throughout the world, all of which can be classified into three distinct types; song canaries, type canaries and color canaries. Some canaries have been bred to be great singers, while others have been bred to have certain markings and shapes or certain colors.

Canary History
All the varieties of canaries originate from the wild canary, Serinus serinus, of the Canary Islands. These beautiful, singing birds were known to the Romans and then rediscovered by the French in 1334, after which captured birds began appearing in other countries. Original canaries were green with hints of grey and yellow, very different from the yellows and oranges popular today. Current shades and color arrangements vary exceedingly.
 
Song Canaries
The most famous of canaries is the song canary. They are bred specifically for their song. Rollers, waterslagers, American singers and timbrados are the best known song canary breeds. Usually, male canaries sing the best, always trying to impress the females. Song canaries can imitate other birds and music, thus incorporating the sounds into their own song. The most renowned song canary is the Hartz roller canary, emitting a soft tone from the throat with a nearly closed beak.

Type Canaries
Type canary breeders concentrate on shape, stance and other physical characteristics. Well-known type canary breeds include the Fife, border and Gloster canaries. Nearly no attention is paid to the quality of song produced from these birds. Type canaries can be tall or short, fat or skinny and may have smooth or frilled feathers. For example, the Scotch fancy canary sits in an unnaturally bent posture, while the northern Dutch frill has long swooped feathers.
 
Color Canaries
Color canaries are bred into all colors, except true blues or black. Breeding canaries for color is derived from two color elements: melanin and lipochrome. Melanin color includes dark hues of black and brown, while lipochrome color includes yellow, white and red. The typical yellow bird has been selectively bred without melanin pigmentation. Combined during breeding, melanin and lipochrome create colors of green, blue, bronze, cinnamon, fawn and brown. Additionally, colors may be enhanced by feeding colored foods.

Mules
A female canary bred to a male finch results in a mule canary. Often, these offspring will be infertile. Examples of these breedings are called the goldfinch mule, siskin mule or greenfinch mule. A male canary bred with a female finch is known as a bull. Mules have singing ability and can be exhibited at shows.
 
Housing
Canaries love to fly in open spaces, and need a cage at least 24 inches wide and 18 inches tall, with bars no more than a half inch apart. Canaries fly across, not up and down, so fix at least two softwood perches, three-eighths to three-quarters of an inch wide, at either end of the cage. Lining the bottom of the cage with newspaper makes it easier to clean. Canaries' cages should be placed in a light, airy position at least 3 feet from direct sunlight and drafts, about 6 feet off the floor. Placing the cage close to a wall helps canaries feel secure.
 
Diet
Canaries' health benefits from a wide-ranging diet and continuous access to water. Canaries can't survive more than 24 hours without water, so fix a water bottle to the side of their cage and change the water daily. Commercial canary seed and pellets are available, and are vitamin-coated to supply essential nutrients, but canaries also benefit from additional healthy foods such as dandelions, spinach, celery, apples, oranges and grapes, cut into small pieces. Canaries eat about a half a tablespoon of seed a day. Spreading it out thinly in a wide dish helps prevent seed being covered by seed shells. A cuttlebone is essential for calcium and a strong beak and bones.
 
Care
Canaries' care needs are simple. Keep their cages clean by changing the cage paper and cleaning their food bowl daily. Once a week, wash the cage throughout, including bars and perches, with warm soapy water or bird cage disinfectant. Dry with a clean cloth. Canaries should have their cages covered at night to maintain their natural sleeping patterns and protect them from drafts. Fumes, such as smoke from cigarettes or scented candles, are bad for bird health. Never cook with Teflon or other non-stick pans, as their fumes can kill. Canaries who are too cold puff their feathers up for long periods. If they're too hot, they hold their wings away from their body and pant. Canaries need to have their toenails clipped. Your vet can show you how this is done.
 
Activities
Often content to fly back and forth for most of the day, canaries can also play in their cages with one or two simple toys, changed weekly for variety. A cage cluttered with toys limits their freedom to fly. Another activity canaries enjoy is bathing in a shallow dish of lukewarm water or wet dandelion leaves. Young male canaries learn to copy sounds they hear regularly, such as a doorbell. If you plan on letting your bird have exercise outside his cage, you will need to train him, which takes considerable time and patience. When handling canaries, the bird's back should lie against the palm of the hand, with thumb and forefinger gently holding the sides of his head.