Canary Types
Border Canary
A guide to the Border canary (Border Fancy): Anglo-Scottish origin, appearance, colors, temperament, care, breeding and how it differs from the Fife and Gloster.
Domestic Canary Types
Every domestic canary descends from the wild Atlantic canary, but centuries of selective breeding have produced dozens of varieties. Breeders group them by what they were bred for — song, shape (type) or color.
Canary Types guides
Type canaries
Canary Types
Fife Fancy Canary
A guide to the Fife Fancy canary — developed in Fife, Scotland as a smaller Border — covering appearance, colors, temperament, care, breeding and beginner suitability.
Canary Types
Gloster Canary
Gloster canary guide: origin, Corona and Consort forms, appearance, colors, temperament, care, breeding rules for crested birds and beginner suitability.
Song canaries
Canary Types
Roller Canary
A guide to the Roller canary (Harz Roller) — its German origin, soft closed-beak song and song tours, appearance, care, training, breeding and suitability as a pet.
Canary Types
Spanish Timbrado Canary
Spanish Timbrado canary guide: Spanish origin, loud metallic open-beak song, appearance, temperament, care, breeding and how it compares with the Roller.
Color canaries
Canary Types
Red Factor Canary
Red factor canary guide: red siskin ancestry, history, colors and feather types, care, color feeding during the molt and breeding considerations.
The three main groups of canary
All domestic canaries are the same species, Serinus canaria domestica, descended from the wild Atlantic canary of the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores. What separates the varieties is the goal breeders selected for.
| Group | Bred for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Song canaries | The quality and style of the male's song | Roller (Harz Roller), Spanish Timbrado, American Singer, Waterslager, Russian Singer |
| Type canaries | Shape, size, posture or feather — sometimes called "posture" or "fancy" canaries | Gloster, Border, Fife Fancy, Norwich, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Belgian, Stafford, frilled breeds |
| Color canaries | Color and pattern rather than shape or song | Red Factor, Lizard, and the many lipochrome and melanin color mutations |
These groups describe breeding goals, not hard rules. Most male canaries of any variety sing, and type canaries come in many colors. "Not bred for song" simply means the song is not judged.
Which canary type is best?
There is no single best canary — only the best match for what you want:
- Want a strong singer? Look at song canaries. A Roller sings softly and deeply; a Spanish Timbrado sings loudly and brightly; an American Singer sits in between.
- Want an easy first bird? Small, hardy type canaries such as the Gloster, Border and Fife Fancy are popular choices.
- Interested in color? The Red Factor canary is the best-known color canary, but it needs more dietary knowledge to keep its color.
- Thinking about exhibiting? Each variety has its own standard. Find a local or national club for the breed and talk to experienced exhibitors before buying.
Use the canary comparison tool to put varieties side by side.
Other varieties in brief
Full guides for more varieties will be added over time. In the meantime:
- Yorkshire canary — a tall, upright "position" canary from Yorkshire, England, with a long body and broad shoulders.
- Norwich canary — a large, broad, heavily feathered type canary from the Norwich area of England, calm in temperament.
- Lizard canary — one of the oldest known varieties, kept for its spangled back pattern and the "cap" on its head. It became very rare in the mid-20th century and was preserved by dedicated British breeders.
- Stafford canary — a relatively recent English breed combining a compact, Gloster-like shape with red-ground coloring, in crested and plain-headed forms. Accounts of its development vary between sources.
- American Singer — developed in the United States in the 1930s for both song and appearance; it is widely reported to come from Roller and Border crosses.
- Belgian canary (Belgian Fancy or Bult) — an old posture breed with high shoulders and a low-carried head, now relatively uncommon.
- Colorbred canaries — the broad group of canaries bred for color mutations such as agate, isabel, brown, white and red factor.
When sources disagree about a breed's history, this site says so rather than picking one version as fact.
Sources and further reading
- Domestic canary — Wikipedia
Related topics: Canary Care · Canary Breeding · Canary Housing