Everything You Need To Know About Canaries

What is a canary?

The canary is a type of popular bird that is raised in cages. It belongs to the Fringillidae family, which follows the order of Passeriformes. Canaries are distinguished by their beautiful colors and vocal power. The average lifespan of a canary raised in Cage from 10 to 15 years, sometimes reaching more than 20 years.

The original home of the canary

The canary bird was given this name in reference to its original homeland, which is the Canary Islands, where humans got to know canaries hundreds of years ago in the wild Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira off the coast of northwest Africa, and began hunting and raising them to reproduce, and over time they raised hundreds of different species. One of the canaries that became sold as pets, as the original canary was nothing more than a bird with a green color and an ordinary shape, but it was distinguished by its wonderful songs, which made Europeans fall in love with canary songs, and so they began importing canaries in the late 16th century. Then Europeans began raising these birds in their homes.

Canary bird shape

The length of the canary bird that lives in the wild is about 14 cm, and it is a pale greenish-brown color with a yellowish chest. As for the pet canaries that are raised in cages, they differ from each other in size, shape, color of feathers, and the sound of their chirps, but most Pet canaries have bright yellow feathers, and they all have short, conical beaks that they use to crack open seeds to get to the good, edible parts of the seeds, in addition to eating fruit as well.

Canary bird sound

The canary bird makes beautiful and charming sounds and songs, which require skill and experience from the bird to perform. The longest and most beautiful songs are issued by the male canary when it reaches adulthood. It is 6 months or more. Females can also sing, but not with the same beauty and continuity as the male’s singing. Therefore, experts suggest hearing a bird sing before buying it, or consulting a breeder specialized in that.

Canary bird health

Canaries are susceptible to many diseases, including mite infestations, specifically air sac mites, which attack the bird’s respiratory system; scaly mites, which appear as scaly buildups around the bird’s beak, eyes, and legs; feather mites, red mites, and night mites; Which crawls at night and feeds on the bird’s blood, but mite infection is treatable if detected early, and therefore the canary bird breeder must rush to treat it as soon as he suspects that it may be infected with mites.

Among the diseases that may also affect canaries is canary pox, which is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes and poses a serious threat to canaries, especially those found outdoors. For this reason, many people recommend sheltering these birds indoors, especially during the summer months when rates of infection are high. Infection with this disease.

Why do humans love raising canaries?

Canary lovers are among the most passionate bird breeders, as people want to raise canaries because they have three basic characteristics: their beautiful songs, their color, and their external appearance. Canaries are often bred to obtain a specific song, which breeders often brag about in song competitions. Canaries are held for the purpose of entertainment and listening to their sweet voices. Colored canaries are raised according to their color, where they can be fed certain manufactured and naturally dyed foods to enhance their color.

Tips for raising canaries

Here are some tips that will benefit canary breeders:

Canaries need a medium atmosphere, with temperatures similar to those at home, not exceeding 26.7 degrees Celsius. It is necessary for the breeder to be careful of extreme changes in temperature, and the cage must be placed away from the ground in an area with good lighting and away from air currents.

The canary cage is designed with dimensions suitable for flying, which are estimated at 46 cm x 36 cm x 46 cm, with metal bars spaced no more than 0.95 cm apart. The larger the cage, the better it is for the bird to be able to fly comfortably.

Make sure there is a metal mesh over the litter tray to keep the bird away from the droppings. It is important to line the litter tray with suitable paper to facilitate the cleaning process and avoid contamination.

Canaries can be kept with at least one other canary, preferably not more than that, and male canaries should not be kept together, or with different types of birds. It is also important that daily social relationships with canaries be formed by the breeder or Keep them in pairs to communicate with each other.