Canary Varieties & Species
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Varieties
Canaries are generally divided into three main groups:
- Color-bred Canaries (bred for their many color mutations - Cinnamon Canaries, Lizard Canaries, Red Factor Canaries, Stafford Canaries, etc.);
- Type Canaries (bred for their shape and conformation - Belgium Canaries, Border, Fife, Crested Canaries, Gloster, Frilled Canaries, Norwich Canaries, Lancashire Canaries, Scottish / Scots Fancy Canaries, etc.), Yorkshire Canaries;
- Song Canaries (bred for their unique and specific song patterns - Spanish Timbrado, Roller Canaries , Waterslagger (also known as "Malinois"), American Singer, etc).
The below information & charts are courtesy of:
Mandy & Paul - Breeder of Canaries & Other Exotic Birds - Singing Wings Aviary - www.singing-wings-aviary.com:
Mutations/Sub-species: There are many different mutations and sub-species of the Canary. I myself do not even know them all. I will list some of the most common types of Canaries which have been bred in a chart below. First let's start with the basics and say there were two different song types of Canaries known as Choppers and Rollers. Choppers sing loud, choppy song notes with their beaks wide open while Rollers sing a softer, lower tune melody in which their beak reamins shut or just barely opens. Most often Choppers are bred for "type" (size, color & desposition) while Rollers are bred strictly for "song". Most "type" bred Canaries come in a variety of colors such as Yellow, White, Buff, Blue, Cinnamon, Green, Ticked and Variegated while most "song" bred Canaries lack the many different color mutations. The majority of today's Colorbred Canaries are Chopper singers.
| Song Canaries | About the "Song" Bred Canary |
| German Roller Canary | Selectivley bred German Rollers that sing with thier beak totaly closed |
| Belgian Waterslager | Selectivley bred Belgian Rollers which can imitate the sound of rolling water |
| Spanish Timbrados | Selectivley bred Spanish Rollers which can make chattering sounds and metallic tones |
| American Singer Canary | An American combination of 2/3 Roller canary and 1/3 Border canary (1942) |
| Type Canaries | About the "Type" Bred Canary |
| Border Canary | Selectivley bred English/Scottish Canary that stands at a 60 degree angle |
| Gloster Canary | Selective bred combination of Border Canary and Crested Rollers |
| Stafford Canary | Selectivley bred cross between Red-Factor and Gloster Canaries |
| Norwich Canary | Selectivley bred for large, bulky size and puffiness of the feathers |
| Fife Canary | Selectively bred miniature Border Canaries which are no more than 4.5 inches |
| Scots Fancy Canary | Selectively bred Scottish Canaries produced for their akward stance |
| Belgian Fancy Canary | Selectively bred Belgian Canaries produced for their akward stance |
| Parisian Frill Canary | Selectively bred for its frilled feathers and large size of up to 8 inches |
| Dutch Frill Canary | Selectively bred for its frilled feather structure |
| Yorkshire Canary | Selectively bred combination of Lancashire, the Belgium and the Norwich |
| Lizard Canary | Selectivly bred French Canaries produced for the scale-like spangled feathers |
| Color Canaries | About the "Color" Bred Canary |
| Green (Wild Type) | Darkest black and brown melanin shade in yellow ground birds |
| Yellow Melanin | Mutation showing yellow ground color with brown and black pigment |
| Yellow Lipochrome | Mutation creating the loss of brown and black pigment leaving yellow ground color |
| Red Factor Melanin | Mutation showing red ground color with brown and black pigment |
| Red Factor Lipochrome | Mutation creating the loss of black and brown pigment leaving red ground color |
| Blue Factor | Darkest black and brown melanin shade in white ground birds |
| Dominant White | Dominant mutation creating the loss of black and brown pigment leaving white ground color |
| Recessive White | Recessive mutation creating the loss of black and brown pigment leaving white ground color |
| Silver Factor | Mutation that combines white ground color with brown and black pigment |
| Pastel Factor | Sex-linked gene that reduces the intensity of black pigment in feathers |
| Ivory Factor | Sex-linked gene that reduces the strength of overall color |
| Dimorphic Factor | Sex-linked gene providing visual differences in gender such as the Mosaic |
| Opal Factor | Autosomal recessive gene which inhibits brown pigment and dilutes black to gray |
| Cinnamon | Sex linked mutation which eliminates all black pigment on a yellow ground bird |
| Agate Series | Sex-linked gene which inhibits brown pigment but shows black/grey pigment |
| Fawn | Sex linked mutation which eliminates all black pigment on a white ground bird |
| Isabel Series | color mutation combination of Brown and Agate |
| Satinet | sex-linked gene that produces pigment in back and flank markings only |
| Ino | Autosomal recessive mutation causing red eyes on a bird with brown pigment |
| Phaeo | mutation which inhibits black pigment and concentrates brown pigment on feather edges |
| Albino | mutation causeing total lack of all pigment |
| Onyx | Maximum expression of the black pigment and inhinbits brwon pigment |
| Eumo | Mutation that inhibits brown pigment and reduces black pigment |
American Singer Canaries aka Yellow Variegated Canary
Border Canaries aka Border Fancy Canary
Fife Fancy Canary aka Fife Canary
Gloster Canaries aka Gloster Fancy Canary
Hartz Canaries (Roller Canaries)
Roller Canaries aka German Roller Canary, Hartz Mountain Roller Canary
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with web visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the webmaster.
Photo contributions are welcome!
