National
Capital Region Aviaries
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Coloured Canaries
Singing
Canaries
Type Canaries
Exotics Research Contact: Ottawa, Canada
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Origins of Canaries
The common canary (serinus canarius) is related to finches native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa and under the rule of Spain and Portugal. The Canary Islands were not named for the birds, but were named for the large dogs that were kept by the locals of ancient times (dog=canis in Latin). Europeans began making pets of the wild canaries (Fringillidae of the finch family) in the 1400's. They were originally a grayish green color with only a hint of yellow on their breasts, looking more like sparrows than what we now see in canaries. The male's song was noticed and pairs were eventually kept in captivity to be bred and enhance certain characteristics - song, feathering or conformation. Over the past half century, this has led to the development of numerous breeds of canaries, all of which are quite different from the original finch.
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