Canary Varieties

Song Canaries

• American singer: Developed in the 1930s in the United States by crossing roller and border canaries, the American singer is a hardy bird and an excellent choice for novice canary keepers. He is bred to have a louder, more varied song than the German roller. The American singer is also bred for appearance and is available in a variety of different colors.
   
  
• Belgian waterslager: Also called the malinois, this canary was first developed in Belgium in the early 1700s. He is known for the variety of notes in his songs. His trademark sounds include “water notes” (bubbling, liquid sounds that recall dripping water) and bell and flute sounds.
   
  
• German roller: Also known as the Hartz roller, this canary was developed in the 1700s in Germany. His main defining characteristic is that he sings with his beak closed, making his song sound lower and softer.
   
  
• Spanish timbrado: The Spanish timbrado closely resembles the wild canary and is known for a cheerful-sounding song that’s reminiscent of Spanish castanets.

Type Canaries

• Belgian fancy: Like several other canaries, the Belgian fancy is a bird of position, which means that he stands in a particular, unusual posture: hunched over in a manner that looks somewhat uncomfortable and awkward. He is a frilled bird as well, with soft, sweeping feathers all over his body that give him a stout, puffy look.
• Border: The border canary is what most people imagine when they picture a canary: a robust, lively little bird, usually yellow (but available in many color varieties), with a rounded head and chest. He is bred to be small—about 5" (13 cm) in length—and stands at a 60° angle on his perch.
   
  
• Gloster: The gloster canary is easily recognizable for his “mop-top” crest. Not all glosters have crests, though: those who do are known as coronas, and those who lack the crest are called consorts. The gloster is popular because he has a pleasant song despite the fact that he wasn’t bred as a song canary. He is a smaller bird, usually 4.5" (11 cm) or less in length.
   
  
• Lizard: This canary is well known for his spangled, textured feathers, which give him the almost scaly appearance that earned him his name. He is one of the oldest varieties of canary developed in captivity.
   
  
• Norwich: At 6.5" (17 cm) in length, this popular type of canary is stocky and much larger and thicker than most other commonly kept varie­ties of canaries. The Norwich also comes in a variety of color mutations.
   
  
• Scotch fancy: Also a bird of position, the Scotch fancy is close to 7" (18 cm) in length and has a long, tapering neck. The Scotch fancy’s posture causes him to look as though he’s raising himself up to look at something far away, with his body shaped almost like the letter C.
   
  
• Yorkshire: This large canary is close to 7" (18 cm) in length and comes in a variety of color mutations, from white to cinnamon to green. Another bird of position, the primary characteristic of the Yorkshire is his stance—straight up on long legs with a slight lift to the tail.
   
  

Color Canaries

• –ino: The suffix –ino is attached to a number of color mutations, including lutino (clear yellow), rubino (clear red), and albino (clear white). Birds bearing this mutation all have red eyes and pink feet and lack the pigment melanin in their feathers, resulting in the color change. The degree of change relates to the degree to which melanin is absent in the bird.
• Melanin: Melanin is the chemical that gives feathers their dark brown and black pigments. Melanin expresses itself in most canary color mutations by making all or some of the bird’s feathers darker.
• Red factor: The red factor canary is a pale peach or orange color when it hatches and is able to change color when color fed. Most red factors are color fed with special pigmented foods and water additives that create a bird who is a deep orange or red.