Canary

Is a canary right for you?

The canary is one of the most popular cage birds in the world, second only to the budgerigar. What sets it apart is its voice: a singing male changes the whole atmosphere of a home. But one thing should be clear from the start: a canary is not a bird to play with in your hands. It is a bird to watch and listen to. It does not enjoy being handled and does not bond with people the way parrots do.

The key question: do you want a companion that interacts with you, or a bird that lives alongside you and fills the house with song? If it is the former, a small parrot species may suit you better.

Before you adopt

Important: avian vets are not available everywhere. Before getting a canary, find out whether a clinic near you treats birds or exotic pets.

• If you want song, choose a male. Males are generally far better singers; females sing little or not at all. Moulting, stress, illness and a new environment can silence a male for a while, so a quiet first few weeks are normal.
• When choosing, pick a lively, alert bird that is not easily frightened. Avoid birds sitting fluffed up with half-closed eyes or a soiled vent.
• Have the bird checked by a vet soon after you bring it home, and before it meets any birds you already keep.
• Canaries can be found through breeders, bird clubs and owners rehoming their birds; ask about age and sex.

Character and social needs

Canaries are calm, self-contained and somewhat timid. Sudden movements, a hand reaching into the cage and loud noise upset them. A corner where the bird can see household life, without people constantly walking past, is ideal.

Unlike parrots, canaries do not suffer from living alone; veterinary sources note they can be housed singly. Never keep two males in the same cage; they will fight over territory. A male and a female together will start breeding behaviour, and a paired male often sings less. If you want several birds, use a large aviary and watch them carefully.

Song: Males sing most in autumn, winter and spring, linked to the breeding season, and usually fall silent during the late-summer moult. This seasonal silence is not illness, but a bird that stays silent and fluffed up outside the moult should see a vet.

Cage and living space

A canary is a flyer, not a climber. That is the most important rule when choosing a cage.

• Size: At least about 45x35x45 cm for one bird, but length matters more than height. Choose a long, rectangular cage in which the bird can actually fly from perch to perch. Round, tall cages are unsuitable.
• Bar spacing: 1 cm or narrower.
• Perches: Natural wood perches of different diameters at each end, leaving flying space between them. Do not place perches directly above food and water dishes.
• Bathing: Canaries love to bathe. Offer a shallow bath several times a week; mist non-bathers with lukewarm water.
• Temperature and position: Roughly 18-27 °C is comfortable. Choose a bright, draught-free spot away from air-conditioning vents. Never the kitchen.
• Hot summers: Leaving the cage on a balcony or in a sunny window at midday is a common way canaries are lost. Shade, ventilation and fresh water are essential. Mosquitoes spread canary pox, so bring the bird indoors in the evening.
• Sleep: Canaries need a dark, quiet night; a bird kept in a lit living room until late becomes exhausted.

Clean the cage floor and dishes daily and perches weekly.

Feeding

A seed-only canary mix is common but incomplete. Current veterinary advice favours a pellet-based diet.

• Canary pellets: Sources recommend pellets make up about 60-70% of the diet. Convert from seed gradually.
• Seed: A small-seed mix as a supplement, not the staple.
• Fresh vegetables: Dark leafy greens, bell pepper, grated carrot, squash, pumpkin, green beans. Chop finely and remove after a few hours.
• Egg food: Two to three times a week during breeding; also helpful during the moult.
• Treats: No more than 10% of daily food.
• Grit: Canaries hull their seeds, so they do not need grit.
• Calcium: A cuttlebone can be kept in the cage.
• Water: Fresh every day.

Toxic foods: avocado (can be fatal), chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, salty foods, onion, garlic, fruit pits and apple seeds.

Household hazards: overheated non-stick (PTFE) cookware, cigarette smoke, air fresheners, candles and scent diffusers, bleach fumes. A bird's respiratory system is extremely sensitive to all of these.

Health and lifespan

A well-kept canary usually lives around 10 years; some reach 12-15.

Birds hide illness. A canary that dozes fluffed up for long periods, sits on the cage floor, or bobs its tail with each breath needs a vet quickly. An annual check-up is recommended.

Problems that stand out in canaries:

• Air sac mites: Tiny mites living in the airways, seen most often in canaries and Gouldian finches. Signs: clicking or high-pitched breathing sounds, sneezing, tail bobbing, open-mouth breathing, a broken song. Heavy infections can be fatal; treatment plus thorough cage disinfection is needed.
• Canary pox: Spread by mosquitoes. Scabs and nodules on the face, around the eyes and on the feet; a "wet" form affects the mouth and throat and causes breathing difficulty. Prevention means keeping the bird indoors, away from mosquitoes.
• Scaly leg ("tassel foot", Knemidocoptes mites): Thickened, tassel-like crusts on legs and toes. Treatable, but it does not clear up on its own.
• Atoxoplasmosis: A parasite that enlarges the liver and spleen, especially in young canaries; lethargy, fluffing, a swollen abdomen. Diagnosed with droppings tests.
• Egg binding (females): Fluffed up, straining, tail pumping, sitting on the floor. An emergency.
• Overgrown nails: Canaries need regular nail trims; a healthy canary should not need beak trims. An overgrown beak points to an underlying problem.

Taming and training

With a canary the goal is less about training and more about making it feel safe.

1. Settling in (first 1-2 weeks). Put the cage in place and leave the bird alone. Move slowly when changing food and water and talk quietly.
2. Routine. Feeding and lights-out at the same times each day noticeably reduces stress.
3. Hands. Young, hand-raised canaries adapt more easily. Some learn to step onto a finger over time, but never force it; chasing a bird to catch it destroys trust for a long time.
4. Out of the cage. Optional. If you let it out, close windows, cover mirrors and keep other pets out. Getting a canary back can be hard; for most owners a large flight cage is safer.
5. Song. Young males learn song from adult males. Playing recordings may help, but results are not guaranteed.

Wing clipping is generally not recommended for canaries; flight is their main form of exercise.

History and life in the wild

The canary (Serinus canaria) descends from a wild finch native to the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores. The wild ancestor is greyish-green; the yellow, orange, white and red colours seen today are the result of centuries of selective breeding. Red canaries were created by crossing with the red siskin of South America.

The bird reached Europe with sailors in the 15th century and quickly became a favourite of the nobility. Over the following centuries three main groups developed in Germany, Belgium, Britain and Spain:

• Song canaries: the Harz Roller (soft song with a closed beak), the Belgian Waterslager (a bubbling, water-like song) and the Spanish Timbrado (loud and metallic).
• Colour canaries: bred for colour and pattern.
• Type canaries: such as the Gloster and Norwich, bred for body shape and posture.

For many years canaries were also carried into coal mines as a living alarm that detected toxic gas before the miners did.