Domestic canary: how long canaries live, bird care. Canary, at home all year round spring

People started keeping canaries as pets quite a long time ago. These beautiful and bright birds do not require complex care; they can be kept even in a small apartment.

Canaries quickly get used to humans and are quite easy to train. In addition, they can delight you with their beautiful singing.

CARE

To keep your canary healthy, proper care is necessary. It is advisable to keep them in spacious cages, wooden, plastic or metal.

It is important that the cell is large size for free movement of birds in it. The cage needs space for perches for her to sit on. They should not be too smooth; it is better if their surface remains slightly rough. The distance between them is important so that when flying from one perch to another, the canary can freely spread its wings.

Minimum cage size for one bird – 36*16*24 cm and 50*25*30 cm for a pair. It is important that the distance between the rods does not exceed 1.2-1.4 cm, otherwise there is a chance that the canary will get stuck or be injured. The door should be on the side so that the bird can be easily removed from the cage. It is advisable to use cages with a double bottom, as they are easy to clean and wash.

The canary feeder should not be placed on the floor, because the bird can turn it over and scatter it throughout the cage. Retractable feeders are also extremely convenient. You can change the food in such feeders without disturbing your pet.

In order to maintain cleanliness, Canaries need to bathe. To do this, you can use special plastic or glass bathing suits.

Canaries swimming in the water room temperature, the water level should not be higher than 2 cm. The bathing suit is installed on the outside of the cage so that water does not flow inside.

Canaries should bathe daily, starting from 30-35 days of life. However, if the bird does not want to swim, you should not force it. This can be very stressful for her. Bathing suits should be washed daily.
The tap hole must be kept clean. It must be washed at least a couple of times a week. During harvesting, the canary should be transplanted into spare cage. In order not to scare the bird, it is advisable to place two cages side by side, opening the doors so that it can safely fly over.

A special bird filler (sand, granules or sawdust) is poured into a clean cage. Some people use paper for this. However, it needs to be changed more often - every two to three days.

CONTENT RULES

The location of the cage is extremely important. It is important that it stands in a place that protected from drafts. The place where the cage is located needs good lighting, but you should not place it in the sun.

You should not place a cage in the kitchen, as there are too many foreign odors and harmful fumes. For the same reason, you should not smoke in a room where canaries are located.

Occasionally, the canary can be released to fly around the room. It is better to do this in a confined space so that it cannot fly out the door or window. At first, you can allow the bird to fly for 10-15 minutes, gradually the time can be increased to 40-45 minutes. This can be done if there are no hard-to-reach places in the room where the canary could get stuck. Canaries often fly into closets and are unable to get out.

In addition, there should be no other pets in the room that could frighten or even injure the bird. It is important to communicate with a canary in a calm and quiet voice. There is no need to grab the bird from behind - this may frighten it. She must see who is approaching her.

Stress is dangerous for canaries, it can lead to their death. Noise, careless attempts to pick it up, or a sudden change of environment can frighten a canary. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful that stress does not kill your pet.

BREEDING

It is best to breed canaries at home in the spring. To receive good offspring need to pick up healthy and active couple, the male must sing well. Canaries must be at least one year old. In order for the male and female to get used to each other, you must first place the cages next to each other.

For 5-6 days, the male is given both grain and soft food daily. The amount of food for the female should also be increased. To mate, birds are placed in one cage, first the male, and after a couple of days - the female. At the end of mating, the female begins to make a nest. After 3-10 days, the female lays eggs.

To build a nest, the canary must be provided with pieces of flax or cotton fabric. You can also add small hay. Once the female has laid her first egg, the cage should not be moved or the nest moved. After the female canary has laid several eggs, the male needs to be separated from her, because she herself is capable of raising chicks.

Sometimes the male is left to help the female raise her offspring, but it has happened that the male destroyed the nest and could also throw the chicks out of it. Canaries incubate their chicks for 13 days. 3-4 hours after the birth of the chicks, the female begins to feed them from her beak.

It is important that at this time there is both soft and grain food available, and the female can also be additionally fed with a mixture of boiled egg and crushed crackers. After 24-28 days, the chicks begin to feed on their own, and on days 35-37 they begin to chirp. Mature chicks need to be seated separately. Males should be kept in separate cages, but females can live together.

Video: content features

What to feed?

The basis of canary nutrition is hard food, which you can buy at a pet store or make yourself.

• 10% millet
• 20% canary seed
• 40% rapeseed
• 10% salad
• 10% oatmeal
• 5% hemp soaked in boiling water
• 5% sunflower seeds

If desired, you can add burdock seeds or flaxseeds.

Failure to comply with the proportions can cause metabolic disorders and various diseases. To avoid obesity, it is necessary to give birds a certain amount of food - 1-1.5 teaspoons daily.

At the same time, they need to be fed in small portions throughout the day; the bird cannot be left without food for a long time. Once a week, canaries need to be given soft food. This can be a mixture of half a yolk, a hard-boiled egg, tsp. crackers, semolina or baby food.

You can give your canaries small slices of chopped fruits or vegetables: apples, pears, carrots, cabbage, sweet peppers or celery. Crushed egg shells, charcoal or chalk can be given as mineral feed.

However, some fruits and vegetables may be dangerous for canaries. Among them:

• Mango
• Papaya
• Parsley, herbs
• Persimmon
• Avocado
• Fruit pits (cherry, apricot, etc.)

Drinking water should be at room temperature. At the bottom of the cage you need to install a small dish from which the bird can drink.

HOW MUCH LIVE OUTSIDE THE WILL?

Average lifespan canaries at proper care - 7- 12 years. Some individuals can live up to 20-25 years.

Canaries became pets about 500 years ago. The Spaniards brought this songbird with Canary Islands. The canary is inconspicuous on the outside, but with its beautiful singing it has charmed more than one generation of bird connoisseurs. In the bustle of the city, you really want to relax when you come home in the evening, and this relaxation comes from the magical singing of your little friend. Peace immediately sets in in the soul and all problems dissolve into the past. It is impossible not to love the canary and you really want it to live forever. Many people who have such a bird at home sooner or later wonder about its life expectancy.

How many years canaries live at home?

On average, canaries can live in an apartment for about 10-12 years, but it is possible that your bird will become a long-liver and exceed the 15-year mark. In the old days, the canary was called the “miracle bird” and it was believed that presenting it as a gift was very prestigious. Thanks to his extraordinary beautiful singing The canary was considered one of the earthly wonders. The canary's health could be assessed by its voice. Beautiful, long-lasting singing is a sign of health and comfort in captivity. Today, canary breeding is a business and hobby for many breeders. The most important thing is proper care for it.

How to extend the life of a canary

In the wild, canaries can live up to 20 years. This is impressive, but they do not always live up to this period. Very often still in at a young age canaries are attacked by various predators or during strong hurricanes and rainfall they die. Poultry are protected from weather conditions and wild hunters, but still, in order for the canary to be healthy and happy, you need to adhere to certain rules for caring for her, namely:

• Feed on time and correctly;
• Monitor the temperature and humidity in the enclosure;
• Adhere to sanitary and hygienic rules for caring for the aviary and the bird;
• Maintain the generally accepted mating interval for females.

• Fresh greens: parsley stems, celery, dandelions, spinach;
• Fresh fruits and vegetables: apple, pear, carrot, pumpkin;
• Protein food: boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese;
• Porridge: semolina, rice;
• White bread;
• Mineral additives: chalk, egg shells, charcoal and shell rock.

It is also worth noting the fact that breeding canaries greatly depletes the body of the female mother. Therefore, during the period of laying and feeding the chicks, take care of the maximum intake of vitamins and minerals into the body of the nursing mother, and also separate the male from the female in order to avoid repeated offspring earlier than the due date. Be sure to install wooden perches in the enclosure, approximately 1.5 cm in diameter, on which the canaries will happily sit. Also put a special bathing suit in the cage, because these feathered babies really love to splash around in the water. You cannot purchase individuals divorced from their natural parents - this is dangerous for their health. Cellular proximity also affects the quality and lifespan of these birds. It is important to move the young birds away from their parents in a timely manner, since young birds eventually begin to greatly irritate adults. Never place birds of other breeds with canaries in order to supposedly “dilute their loneliness.” Canaries are very sociable; they really cannot stand loneliness, but they only get along with their own kind.

If you want your canary to live long and be always healthy, make her happy. It is very simple, all you need is good and proper care, compliance with the rules of maintenance and endless love to this little cheerful baby.

Most canaries live on the Canary and Azores Islands, the number of which in the Canaries is approximately 90 thousand pairs of birds, and in the Azores around 60 thousand pairs. Madeiro (island in the northern part Atlantic Ocean) can also be called the habitat of canaries, only total number There are no more than 5 thousand pairs of birds there. In addition, an attempt was made to breed these birds in both Bermuda and Hawaiian Islands, but it ended unsuccessfully, all the birds died.

What do canaries look like?

Canaries belong to the finch family, very small birds. Their length is only about 10-14 centimeters, and their weight is approximately 15 grams. The wingspan is up to 23 centimeters. They are loved by everyone who enjoys watching their playful creatures.

Plumage color in males dark green with white strokes. They are also characterized by a yellow-green head and throat. The tail is white and the stripes on the sides are dark. Female canaries are mostly gray-brown in color with small black accents. The plumage color is much paler than males. Young birds brown with dark strokes.

The Canary Islands are considered the historical homeland of canaries, which is where their name comes from. Small birds most often live in forests located in mountainous areas. Canaries are also found in small towns and areas near people. Finches mainly live in flocks, being nomadic or settled life. This factor depends on their place of life.

When hatching chicks, canaries live in pairs, when the female sits on the eggs, incubating them, the male sings not far from her. Favorite place the habitats of small birds are trees and shrubs in areas with a small amount vegetation. Moreover, they live not only in mountainous areas, but also in sand dunes. This is where they prefer to build their nests.

The main food for canaries is considered to be plant food in the form of grass, weeds, various seeds and fruits. From animal food, birds feed on insects.

History of the domestication of the canary

Back in 1473, the rich islands of the Canary archipelago attracted the attention of Spanish sailors, who subsequently conquered the islands with the help of powerful military force and turned them into a colony of Spain.

The cute singing creatures living in cages among the indigenous population were extremely popular with the invaders, and therefore they forbade the removal of the birds from the island on pain of death. Canaries appeared in Europe and became very popular among its inhabitants in the 16th century.

By ancient legend Canaries came to Europe due to a major shipwreck. A ship from Spain, while transporting wonderful birds, crashed near the coast of Italy. The new area with a climate familiar to canaries allowed the birds to feel confident, they quickly populated the new area and had offspring. Following Italy, finches appeared in the rest of Europe.

Due to the Spanish ban on the export of canaries, it was almost impossible to breed birds in captivity. And only after the appearance of birds in Italy and their spread throughout the territory of other European countries, German scientists were able to breed about 25 species of canaries, distinguished by a variety of shades and musical abilities. The most popular was the Tyrolean canary, which differed from others in its singing abilities.

Soon these birds were brought to Russia, as well as to Australia and North America. Germany for a long time remained the main seller of canaries to other countries and the income from this activity was very large. The bird alone cost from 20 marks to 150.

In the 19th century, canaries were so popular among Russian residents that factories for their cultivation appeared in Moscow. Female canaries were much cheaper than males. To get chicks in captivity, the birds had to be placed in separate enclosures, where two nests were set up. After some period of time, the females laid eggs and hatched them. The hatchlings lived with their parents for about three weeks, and then the female laid a new clutch. Thus, in a year it was possible to obtain offspring from three to seven times in one year.

Over 500 years of breeding singing birds, a huge number of their varieties have been bred. Each country had its own types of canaries, for example, in England birds were valued depending on their color, and in Holland the shape itself played a special role. Interesting fact is that the bright orange tint of the plumage was obtained due to the presence of cayenne pepper in the canaries’ diet.

The house canary is a subspecies of finch native to the Canary Islands. The bird is found in the Canary Islands, Azores Islands and Madeira Island. More than 5 centuries have passed since man tamed the bird. As a result of selection, the finch's vocal apparatus has changed. Singing house canary differs from the singing of wild species.

Canary: maintenance and care at home

Varieties of canaries

In most cases, yellow canaries are kept as pets. But this does not mean that the bird’s plumage is only yellow. There are three main types of house canaries.

Colored canaries. The color of colored canaries is varied: yellow, red, green, gray, white, variegated. Gray canaries are especially notable, they are born from the combination of green and yellow breeds. As a result of crossing, the color of the birds varies from matte black to silver. The red canary is the most striking; this color is rarely found in nature. Variegated canaries come in a wide range of colors and their common name is harlequin.

Decorative canaries. Distinctive features birds are unusual plumage and body shapes. The names of some breeds of decorative canaries speak for themselves, for example, curly and humpback.

Singers. Canaries of all kinds sing. Singers have beautiful melody variations, their voices are more musical. Dim birds are traditionally considered the best singers. Canary breeders especially highlight green and yellow individuals. Red birds are spectacular, but their voices are not pleasing to the ear. Pied birds without scarlet tints in their feathers sing wonderfully. Only the male performs arias. The bird sings throughout the year, with the exception of molting time. The most notable performance is in February-March, when mating season. The female only sings along: briefly, rarely, less melodiously. Caring for any type of canary is the same. Anyone who decides to have a bird should know the conditions for keeping a pet.

Canaries are quickly tamed, trusting, and amenable to education. They easily get used to the owner, and under comfortable conditions they reproduce without problems.

Canary Cage Size: length 35 cm, width 22 cm, height 29 cm. The distance between the bars of the cage should not exceed 1.5 cm. Otherwise, the bird may stick its head between the bars and get stuck. A door on the side and a double stainless steel bottom are characteristics of a good cage. The double bottom will make it easy to clean the cage by changing the sand in it, and will facilitate the necessary regular disinfection.

The place where the cage stands must be well lit: a dark corner will not work, direct hits sunlight also unacceptable. It is necessary to install a perch in the cage - round perches 1.5 cm thick. Perches with a rough surface are most suitable. They are installed at such a distance from each other that the bird jumps from perch to perch when flapping its wings.

Cleaning the cage requires a careful approach. The entire contents of the cage: tray, feeders, perches, drinkers, are cleaned at least 2 times a week, pouring boiling water over them several times. Next step- treatment with a disinfectant solution, for example, chamomile infusion or potassium permanganate solution. After treatment with the solution, dry. The pallet is covered with white paper, which is changed every 2-3 days. Clean, river, dry sand is also suitable as bedding.

Feeders are most convenient if they are hinged and extend out. It is not practical to place the feeder at the bottom of the cage, as the birds scatter the food. Hanging feeders allow birds to eat in a comfortable position and the owner to have less to clean up.

Canaries love water treatments. Bathing is good for birds. Water cleanses skin and helps strengthen feathers. For bathing you need a special container and water at room temperature. A container of water cannot be left in the cage for a long time; after bathing, the container is removed. The bathing suit must be washed every day. A month after birth, the pet is ready to get acquainted with water procedures. Birds are gradually accustomed to bathing. The sooner the process begins, the better. After all, then the pet will be freed from fear of water.

A drinking bowl is installed in the cage and filled with water at room temperature. The material of the drinking bowl is porcelain, glass. The drinking bowl is installed between the bars of the cage in any place convenient for the bird.

It is useful for a bird to arrange flight walks around the room. In this case, a number of conditions must be observed to ensure safety.

• close all doors and windows;
• remove hot, sharp objects;
• remove pets from the premises.

When creating comfortable conditions for the bird, you should think about good lighting and long periods of time. daylight hours. IN winter period You can provide additional lighting by installing a lamp next to the cage. Birds wake up with sunrise, so at night summer time The cage is covered with cloth. This measure will allow the pet owner to sleep longer.

Feeding

In conditions wildlife The Canary finch, following its instincts, feeds on greens, grains, and insects in the right proportions. Home conditions oblige the bird owner to take care of a balanced diet.

Reproduction

The female will lay the first egg 10-12 days after sexual intercourse. Then laying occurs every day, usually a couple has up to 5 testicles. After the first egg appears, it is replaced with a wooden one. This is done with each subsequent testicle until the last one. When the female lays the last egg, all those previously taken are returned to the nest. If the eggs are not replaced, the chicks will appear in different days, which will lead to the danger of death of the youngest.

Eggs should be removed from the nest with a spoon, not with your hands, so as not to crush them. Store in a box with soft litter. The female incubates the eggs for two weeks. Birds begin to feed their offspring within a day, some, especially caring parents, in a few hours.

Food for chicks in the first days consists of a hard-boiled egg, finely chopped and mixed with white grated breadcrumbs. After 3-4 days, porridge is added to the diet. Porridge is cooked from rice and millet in milk with the addition of eggs. The food must be stored in the refrigerator.

It’s easy to prepare porridge:

• boil a glass of water;
• pour a teaspoon of cereal into a glass and cook until the cereal is boiled;
• add 150 grams to the boiled cereal. milk;
• after the milk boils, add 3 teaspoons of cereal and cook;
• Salt the cooked porridge and pour an egg into it.

As the chicks grow, the volume of prepared food increases..

A week later, the canar joins in caring for the offspring. On the eighth day the chicks open their eyes, on the twelfth the chicks try to fly out of the nest. Then the canary takes full care of the children, as the female must prepare for the next clutch and incubation of eggs.

After the ability to fly has been established, the chicks are fenced off from their parents with a lattice. In this case, the female and male will feed the young through the bars. The need for separation is due to the fact that, while remaining together, the adults pluck the babies. After two weeks, the chicks are completely independent: they can fly and eat a mixture of grains. Kenars are placed in one cage, females in another and transferred to the normal feeding regime.

In three weeks the canaries begin to try to sing. The songs of young birds are not as beautiful as the trills of adult birds, but they make it possible to separate males from females. Females do not sing.

One of the breeding methods is keeping one male with two females. This option creates a serious burden on the female. Breeding in pairs produces healthier offspring and is easier for birds to tolerate.

Colored canaries are bred in the same way as songbirds, but they require more attention. Attention should be paid to the selection of individuals for mating. For example, two intensely colored red birds will produce weak offspring with sparse feathers. On the contrary, individuals with a pale color will give birth to healthy chicks with bright colors and beautiful appearance.

Crossing a pale individual with a brightly colored one is allowed, no matter who has the more intense color - the female or the male. Part of the brood will take the father's data, part - the mother's data, there is a possibility of the birth of defective chicks.

Lifespan

The average lifespan of a canary is about 10 years With good care, birds live up to 15 years. Good care includes:

Canaries are beautiful birds that improve their singing skills throughout their lives. Birds can bring joy as pets and live in perfect harmony with their owner.

Canaries were brought by the Spaniards from the Canary Islands, where they got their name. This group of birds is rather inconspicuous, but very popular precisely because of their singing abilities. When asked how many years canaries live, many authors answer that the average life expectancy is 8-10 years, although with proper care birds can live up to 15 years. Longevity factor and healthy life these birds are provided with proper food and living conditions.

Decorative ones are divided into the following types:

• crested;
• curly;
• curly;
• humpbacks;
• painted.

Crested

This species includes birds that have crests, which is why they got their name. The feathers on the parietal part of the head are slightly elongated, which creates the appearance of a cap. Crested animals, in turn, are also divided into several subspecies:

Life expectancy is about 12 years. There is one an essential detail in the reproduction of these individuals: If two crested individuals are crossed, the offspring will be lethal. Therefore, one individual is crossed with a crest, and the other must be smooth-headed.

Curly

This smooth-headed species of canary has narrow and fine feathers. Depending on the subspecies, body length varies from 11 to 19 cm. The birds are quite unpretentious.

There are 6 subspecies:

The average life expectancy is 10 - 15 years with proper care.

curly

Representatives of this species are distinguished by the fact that their feathers seem to curl along the entire length of their body. This quite large individuals from 17 cm in length, excluding Japanese subspecies. It is believed that they originated from the Dutch canary. Breeders became interested in their unusual feathers, as a result of which several different unusual subspecies were bred:

• Parisian curly (trumpet);
• French curly;
• Swiss curly;
• Italian curly;
• Paduan or Milanese curly;
• Japanese curly (makij);
• northern curly;
• Fiorino.

Life expectancy is 10 - 14 years.

Humpbacks

These are unique birds whose heads are lowered so low that goes down below the shoulders, despite the fact that the body is completely vertical. In this subspecies the tail either descends straight or curves downwards. This species is the rarest. There are four subspecies of these birds:

• Belgian humpback;
• Scottish;
• Munich humpback;
• Japanese humpback.

On average they can live 10 - 12 years in captivity.

Painted

This is the only species of canary whose body color differs sharply from other species. These birds hatch completely inconspicuous and after the first year of molting, they acquire a very bright color, that is, in the second year they are completely bright birds. But this bright plumage does not last forever, it lasts for a couple of years (2 - maximum 3 years), after which the bright color gradually fades away, as if fading in the sun, until it becomes barely noticeable. There are two known subspecies of painted canaries:

• London;
• lizard.

The lifespan of these canaries is from 10 to 14 years. Unfortunately, decorative individuals are not so in demand among canary lovers as songbirds, since changes in the morphological characteristics of the species negatively affect the vocal characteristics of birds, as a result of which their singing abilities decrease. Canary breeders are not very positive about such deformations, which makes them not particularly popular.

Singing canaries

These are the most popular types of birds of this breed. Officially, there are 3 types of this breed:

• German (harz roller);
• Belgian (Malinois);
• Spanish (timbrados).

There is also a Russian breed, but it is not recognized by the international community.

Harz Roller

The German subspecies or Harz Roller was bred in the Upper Harz, where it got its name. This subspecies has a low, velvety voice, but the most interesting thing is that Canaries sing without opening their beaks, resulting in a soft, non-harassing voice sound. In this case, the Harz roller is in a vertical position and strongly inflates the throat. Life path These birds range in age from 8 to 12 years.

Malinois

The Malinois or Belgian Warbler was bred near the city of Mechelen (Belgium). This is a rather large bird, yellow in color, without any inclusions. The song qualities of this canary are more complex and richer in comparison with the Harz roller. But she can perform songs both openly and with closed mouth. At the same time, professionals evaluate bird songs on a 120-point scale.

Belgian song canary over time is gaining more and more popularity among amateurs. Life expectancy is up to 12 years.

Spanish warbler

The "Timbrados" or Spanish song canary is one of the most ancient species, which was obtained by crossing the European canary finch with a wild canary. This is a rather miniature bird, up to 13 cm long, with a rounded body compared to the Harz roller. The vocal characteristics of the Timbrados canary are rated on a 75-point scale. Life expectancy is approximately 9 - 11 years.

Russian breed

The Russian breed is not recorded in the International Ornithological Association "COM" as a separate, independently existing subspecies. Although in 2005, the “State Commission of the Russian Federation for Testing and Protection of Breeding Achievements” recognized the breed: “Russian Canary Finch” and issued a certificate in confirmation. They are not recognized by the international community because they have not yet come to define a standard for the Russian singing breed. It can be said that Breed-specific singing has not been determined with its inherent set of knees and rating scale. For this reason, Harz rollers are bred more in Russia.

Colored canaries

Currently, this species has about 100 breeds. But, at the same time, they are divided into 2 subspecies, depending on the coloring pigment, which is contained in the feather and is the main determinant of color:

• melanin (dark color);
• lipochrome (light color).

The Melanin pigment has a protein structure in the form of grains and is formed in the body from a special protein. Lipochromes have a fatty structure and are produced from keratin. Lipochromes are mainly in a dissolved state, so the colors are lighter. Different combinations of these pigments, which are produced by the body, give us different colors, so there are many subspecies of them. The answer to the question “how many years do colored canaries live” can be answered that with proper care, their life can reach about 13 years.