American singer canary
The American singer was developed in Boston in the 1930s by a group of breeders who crossed the German roller, prized for its soft rolling song, with the border canary, prized for its shape.
The aim was a bird that both sang well and looked well, on a roughly seven-to-three ratio favouring song.
It is a small canary of around fourteen centimetres, in a wide range of colours. Only cock birds sing. The song is free and varied rather than the deep continuous roll of the German breeds, and it is judged in competition on the bird's own choice of phrasing rather than a fixed pattern.
- Origin
- Boston, United States, 1930s
- Size
- About 14 cm
- Lifespan
- 9–10 years
- Diet
- Canary seed mix or pellets, plus greens and egg food
- Temperament
- Not a handling bird; kept to be watched and heard
- Noise
- Pleasant; only cocks sing
Related: Border canary
3 american singer canary photos, newest first
Living with a american singer canary
Canaries are watching birds, not handling birds, and are happiest in a long flight cage where they can fly horizontally rather than a tall narrow one.
Cocks sing to establish territory and mostly stop while moulting, which is normal and not illness. Housing two cocks in sight of each other can suppress song.
Provide a shallow bath dish several times a week; canaries bathe enthusiastically.
They are sensitive to draughts and to airborne toxins — non-stick fumes, aerosols and smoke. Watch for air-sac mites, which cause clicking or laboured breathing and need veterinary treatment.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual birds vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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