Birds of Birdland: The Canary

Domestic canaries are wonderful and beautiful birds to keep as pets in your home. They are a domestic form of the wild canary that inhabits Europe, and is a very small songbird from the finch family. Canaries were first bred in captivity as early as the 1600's and they were brought to Europe by Spanish sailors. They come in so many beautiful colors, from bright yellow to black, white to red, and all sorts of mixes of everything in between.

Canaries are smaller birds, and are divided into three main groups:

the colorbred canaries - these birds are bred for their color combinations and mutations

the type canaries - these birds are bred for their shape and conformation

the song canaries - these birds are bred for their unique and specific song patterns

It can be difficult to tell the sex of a canary by their appearance alone if you do not know what to look for. Most males will sing and most females will not, and when spring approaches it can be easier to tell from their look what sex they are. During this time of year, the females abdomen will become round and the males will become larger and droop downward. Females can only become fertile when the day increases to 12 hours of sunlight, which normally happens in the spring. But, this can be created artificially with lighting and heating inside if a breeder wants to breed their canaries more often.

They have a normal diet, and require plenty of toys for play time as well as a cuttlefish bone to use. They love all sorts of foods such as chickweed, dandelion, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts and apples. You'll also find all sorts of different recipes online for soft food for them that includes bread crumbs, gelatin, and more.

Canaries have also been used throughout the centuries for several different things. Many people know that they were used for a long time in coal mines as an early warning system for toxic gasses like carbon monoxide and methane. If these gasses were present in the mine, it would kill the bird before affecting the miners so they would know to get out in time. And, since canaries sing most of the time, they were able to provide both an audio and visual cue for miners that might be in danger.

Today, they are used in research to study neurogenesis, or the study of the birth of new neurons in the brain. They also have been studied to understand better how songbirds encode and produce songs. They have become a model species for learning how to vertebrate brain learns, records memories, and recalls items.

If you are considering getting a bird for a pet, canaries are a wonderful addition to any family. Since they are beautiful and they sing constantly, they can be a fun way to liven up any home.