Do you like canaries? Do you have any in your house? Learn all about them, their history, what are the types of cages suitable for them, their lifespan, what you should feed them, how many types there are, the diseases that can afflict them and many other characteristics that will be to your liking.
Canaries
These animals are considered one of the happiest, that transmit vitality, serenity and harmony to the home, those who have had one in their house know that they have a jovial character towards/with humans, and if you have not had one, do not hesitate to acquire it They are excellent company but require good attention.
When they are free, they do not have a fixed habitat, as happens with the White Tiger, however these can be obtained with great frequency in the Azores and Madeira.
You can find a group of canaries in a forest as well as in a desert, they go from one place to another, you can even see them in people's gardens since they usually like it a lot.
It should be noted that the canary in captivity has been bred to be in confinement, this comes from the wild canary, and is considered a good animal for the company.
Serinus canaria domestica
The taxonomy of domestic Carians is as follows:
Its domain is called eukaryota, it belongs to the class of birds, its kingdom is animalia, its family is called fringillidae, the phylum is chordata, the subphylum is vertebrata, on the other hand, the order is the passerine, the genus is the serinus.
The canary that is in captivity is not the product of a random selection, but today it is considered a subspecies that has been derived from those that are in the wild, through a form of breeding by experts in the area.
This process has taken centuries of selection; According to expert data, this is an endemic species of the Canary Islands, and to this they owe their name, but they are also considered to originate from Madeira and Azotes, places where there are large numbers of this species.
The canary is the bird that has been domesticated and considered the best company on the entire planet.
History
Historical data shows us that the first breeding of canaries occurred around the XNUMXth century, many of them were captured and transferred to the European continent by sailors from Spain.
The breeding of these animals became more popular every day, people wanted them in their homes and in Spain they were highly demanded by the kings and the high court, so they were being captured with increasing emphasis to please the first class. besides being a profit for other people.
However, in terms of their prices, there are data that reflect that their trade was prohibited.
The first ones who dealt with their upbringing were the monks, who did trade with them, and with the intention that the cost of pampering was always high, they only sold the males who were the ones who sang.
Later, some females were acquired by some Italians, so little by little they spread throughout Europe.
It is also noted that in England the only ones who could own a canary were wealthy people, however this changed over time, since there were breeds in that territory and many breeds emerged.
artificial selection
From the same century in which these were discovered and exported by the Spanish, when there were canaries that had colors like gray on the back while on the front there were colors like yellow and a little green, they were artificial selections were made by those people in charge of their upbringing and trade.
Therefore, this gave rise to a high number of breeds of canaries, which will be discussed in more detail in the next segments, it is also highlighted that these are classified according to their color, according to their shape and their song, which is why which is that they were selected by their breeders.
These crosses made are what originated all those that we can observe today, such as: pale cream, agate, gold, pure white, jasper, onyx, gray, satin, topaz, copper, mosaic, red and more.
Breeds
As mentioned in the previous segment so far they are classified into three:
1-.For his song: Mostly these are the ones that people are looking for the most, in this sense there are four types of singers, such as:
- Spanish Ringed Canary
- the american canary
- roller canary
- the malinois canary
two-. By its color: in this sense it is due to the beauty of its color, its classification is:
- lipochrome: these are those that do not have melanin, so they only have the base color, the color they have can be attenuated more depending on the diet they have because they have fatty pigments.
These can be yellow, white and red.
- melanic: these, contrary to the previous ones, do have melanin, so they have species of spots on the base color, these spots can be brown or black.
3-. For the posture:
In this sense, it is one that has a great variety in terms of its external morphology, having the following:
- curly plumage
- of position
- tufted
- smooth plumage
- Integrated
breeding of canaries
First of all it is important to note that by nature the most common is that they are raised in the spring period until the beginning of summer, because these are the days when there is more sunlight.
Another fact that cannot be overlooked is regarding the sexual maturity of each one, since the females and the males do not reach it at the same time, as happens with the howler monkey, the female canaries are sexually mature at the be seven months old, while males once they reach eight months are sexually mature. 
You must fill yourself with patience since courtship can last a few days, the nest is important, there are those who recommend placing materials with which the female builds them on her own, while there are those who say that it is better to make a wooden one.
When they lay, the most common is that there are a minimum of three and a maximum of five eggs. Once they are laid, they must be removed so that hatching occurs during that day.
Once the canaries have laid all the eggs, they must be placed in the nest to be incubated.
Another very curious fact is that the food must be adequate, put an insect on them and they will consume vitamins.
Are they long-lived birds?
The vast majority of people when choosing a pet ask how long they live, since once they become attached to them they do not want to lose them; while those who acquire them to raise them and make a profit from them also seek this type of information to see if it really suits them.
In this sense, as for canaries, they will provide you with their company for several years, as long as they are well fed and well cared for in general, just like any other pet such as the their or the bird.
These have a life expectancy of a decade, emphasizing that it is important to have certain knowledge about their care, their diet, the appropriate cage that should be provided and much more.
If you do not have the appropriate knowledge to raise these animals and do not follow the instructions that we have referred to, the canary may not live as many years and its life will be much shorter than indicated.
Behavior
The most common in terms of behavior is singing, a quality for which this animal is highly sought after, since it captivates this beautiful sound, it sings with its beak closed, inflating its throat.
But in addition to his song, he has a docility that catches anyone, his joy is also a characteristic that enchants those who possess it.
Keep in mind that males when they are in the breeding period are usually quite territorial, so on those days you should preferably not trust them.
When there is a sound that bothers them, they are usually not very friendly and remain disturbed until the noise disappears.
Another aspect to highlight is that they do not like to be alone, they need to always be accompanied to be totally happy, so if you are going to acquire this pet, try to buy at least two of them.
Hybridization
This type of animal is very common and can be crossed with those belonging to the finch family, as long as the canary is domestic and not wild.
In this sense, it is worth noting that most of the times the birds that are hybrids are not fertile, so when you go to buy one to breed them you should ask if they are purebred or have been through this process.
Some of those that can be sterile are those that are crossed with the so-called black capacita, when the calf is born it is usually called "mulito", the experts establish that this is because it is an analogy regarding the hybridization between a mare and a donkey. .
habits and characteristics
- One of the canary characteristics Quite peculiar to canaries is that when they sing, they inflate their throats, keeping their beaks closed.
- The beak is open only to make metallic sounds, however this sound does not usually please many people, so it is prevented from making them.
- As for their size, they mostly acquire one eleven and a half centimeters, these in terms of those that were raised in the century in which they were discovered, while the so-called gloster reach up to twenty centimeters.
But the vast majority of them are between thirteen and fourteen centimeters.
- The longevity of these animals, as was said, is quite long, varying depending on the species, some can live only six years, while others even up to fifteen years, with their respective care.
his life in captivity
Since these animals were discovered more than two centuries ago, they were used to keep them in the home, due to their enormous beauty that captivates everyone who sees them, and even more so when they sing, so sweetly that those who listened to them were left speechless. enchanted and wanted to have them close always.
It is a tradition that today continues to prevail in the world, especially in America and Europe, where the song of the canaries wakes up those who own it in the morning and brightens up the afternoon of everyone who can listen to them, either because they have one in your home or because they dare to perch on your balcony.
The following explains various care that you should have with canaries if you want to have them in your home:
-
Food
The most important thing when having a pet in your home is to keep them fed according to their daily needs, in the case of the canary these are mostly fed by means of seeds, insects such as earthworms, you can also give them birdseed that you get in the poultry.
But not only this, but they also like herbs such as dandelions that can be found in various places, such as a garden, in the mountains or others, if they do not get this type of food, do not worry, they also eat broccoli, lettuce and carrot, preferably grated.
The fruits are also to your liking, put pieces of apple, pear or orange.
It is emphasized that if it is in your possibilities, feed them in a varied way so that their life is longer, you can also ask in the poultry house What do canaries eat? in addition to what has already been mentioned.
-
Care
You must not forget their daily care, it is not a pet that can be left for days without food or water, remember that they are living beings that need our full attention.
It is important that you choose very well the place where you are going to put the cage, this place should not be humid, but as dry as possible, where there is no heat or cold, but rather cool, where the air blows.
You can place them in the sun from time to time but for a short time, otherwise they may die if there is no continuous shade as a filter against excessive heat.
'
You must also take into account that you must place a container with water in which they can bathe and another in which they can drink their water, their cage must be cleaned at least once every seven days otherwise they may acquire a disease.
-
Management
As mentioned in the previous segment, canaries can acquire various conditions that could even lead to death if they are not treated properly, also prevent them from suffering from these diseases with the care of their cage and their diet.
The way you will be able to know if your canary is sick is to observe its feces, to know if they have changed color or texture, if it is of a color other than clear black there may be a problem, also its urine when it has dried should be seen of a thick white, otherwise you should go to a specialist who will guide you.
Some diseases can be:
- parasites
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Constipation
- Cold
- Newcastle
- Q fever
- Encephalitis
- psittacosis
-
Reproduction
Knowing what sex with canaries is quite complicated if you want to determine by their color, by how they behave or by the way they look, but what can be key is regarding the song, and that is that a large part of the males sing while females are unusual.
When spring is near, the abdomen of females can swell, this being another way to determine the sex of your canary.
It has already been mentioned that they have a sexual life starting at seven months of age, but they will be able to lay eggs until they are approximately four years old for females and six for males.
-
cage for canaries
The importance of the cage in which these animals will be has been continuously discussed, emphasizing that it must be large, where they can move more freely, place elements with which they can play and entertain themselves.
If the cage is very small they may live stressed and depressed, so their life time may be reduced.
Another fact is that they should preferably be rectangular, you should not look for those with domes or ovals, also put some bars where they can be mounted since it is something they like.
Clean the cages continuously, do not last more than a week without doing this work, the cage should preferably be made of metal, not wood, you can place hangers, a toy, a feeder or other objects inside.
secondary utilities
Previously these animals were used as alarms, yes, as it sounds, it seems strange, but in the mines it was usual to get them, because they were cheap and alarmed both visually and soundly.
If there was contamination by carbon monoxide or methane in that area, the one who died first was the canary, thus alarming those who worked in that place.
