Canary

Canary
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae Genus: Serinus Species: S. canaria
Binomial name
Serinus canaria (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Canary (Serinus canaria) sometimes called the Island Canary, Wild Canary or Atlantic Canary, is a small bird in the finch family.

This bird is native to the Azores, the Canary Islands, and Madeira. The bird was named after the Canary Islands, not the other way around. In turn, the color canary yellow is named for the yellow canary.

Overview

A passerine or passeriform is a member of the order Passeriformes, the largest order of birds, containing more than half of all species. They are also known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds (which actually compose a suborder of Passeriformes). The foot of a passerine is specialized for holding onto a branch, with three toes directed forward without any webbing or joining, and one toe directed backward. The hind toe joins the leg at the same level as the front toes. In other orders of birds, the toe arrangement is different. Passerines generally have sharp, curved claws.

The order typically is divided into two suborders, Tyranni (suboscines), and Passeri (oscines).

• Passeri: A songbird or oscine is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri. These include about four thousand species. In the oscines, the vocal organ is developed in such a way as to produce various sound notes, commonly known as a bird song. Oscines have the most control of their syrinx muscles among birds, producing a wide range of songs and other vocalizations. Song birds include lyrebirds, blackbirds, jays, larks, sparrows, warblers, finches, wrens, starlings, and cowbirds.

Finches are passerine birds, often seed-eating, found chiefly in the northern hemisphere and Africa. One subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics. The family scientific name Fringillidae comes from the Latin word "fringilla", meaning chaffinch, a member of this family that is common in Europe. The taxonomic structure of the true finch family, Fringillidae, is somewhat disputed, with some including the Hawaiian honeycreepers as another subfamily (Drepanidinae) and/or uniting the cardueline and fringilline finches as tribes (Carduelini and Fringillini) in one subfamily; the euphonious finches were thought to be tanagers due to general similarity in appearance and mode of life until their real affinities were realized^{[citation needed]}; the buntings and American sparrows were formerly considered another subfamily (Emberizinae). Przewalski's "Rosefinch" (Urocynchramus pylzowi) is now classified as a distinct, monotypic family with no particularly close relatives (Groth 2000).

"Classic" or true finches are small to moderately large and have strong, stubby beaks, which in some species can be quite large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. They have a bouncing flight, alternating bouts of flapping with gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. Their nests are basket-shaped and built in trees.

Description

It is 12.5-13.5 cm long, with a wingspan of 20-23 cm and a weight of 15-20 g. It is yellow-green, with brownish streaking on its back. It is about 10% larger, longer and less contrasted than its relative the Serin, and has more grey and brown in its plumage and relatively shorter wings. The song is a silvery twittering like the Goldfinch.

Its habitat is semi-open areas such as orchards and copses, where it nests in bushes or trees, from sea level up to 1,500 m altitude.

The population is considered stable, with the following totals:

• Azores: 30,000-60,000 pairs.
• Canary Islands: 80,000-90,000 pairs.
• Madeira: 4,000-5,000 pairs.

Captivity

This species is often kept as a pet; see Domestic Canary for details.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Clement, Peter, illustrated by Harris, Alan and Davis, John, Finches & sparrows : an identification guide. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 1993. ISBN 0691034249.
• Hagemeijer, Ward J. M., & Blair, Michael J., The EBCC atlas of European breeding birds : their distribution and abundance. London : T & A D Poyser, 1997. ISBN 0856610917.
• Snow, D. W. & Perrins, C. M., The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 019854099X.

External links

• Madeira birds - Canary, Madeira Birds. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
• Canary videos, The Internet Bird Collection (IBC). Retrieved September 29, 2007.

Credits

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• Canary  ^history
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• History of "Canary"

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