Checking on My Canaries and Finches
My colorful and melodious red factor canaries are thriving, and this time of year I always have several beautiful babies to watch and enjoy.
I have a couple dozen or so of these canaries that live with me inside my Winter House. I also have a pair of charming Combassou finches. They all live happily in a very large wooden cage I designed after a 1900 French antique that was originally used to house doves or quails. It sits at one end of my airy and light-filled enclosed porch, where I often sit and work while they fill the room with song.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Every morning, the birds are given a fresh buffet of seeds, leafy greens, and fruits. Seed blends are designed to support the birds’ seasonal needs with a wide range of micronutrients for resting, breeding, and molting seasons. The greens are always freshly picked from my gardens.
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- The corn cob litter on the floor of the cage is changed daily, so the birds are always in a fresh, clean environment.
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- My canaries love this location in my home – they can see so much from the big floor to ceiling windows and doors. I also keep classical music on for them every day. The branches are also changed often. Canaries do not need special toys like some other birds, but they do need strong perches with multiple branches.
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- Here is one of the youngest canaries in the flock. It is one of four youngsters that hatched this season. All the babies are already flying around the cage.
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- I love the coloring on this youngster. This baby canary is still growing its feathers.
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- Red factor canaries were developed in the early 1900s by crossing a Venezuelan Black-Hooded Red Siskin with a yellow canary. In order to maintain their rich red plumage, red factors must be fed foods rich in beta-carotene, or a supplement of half pure beta-carotene and half pure canthaxanthin.
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- A canary’s metabolism is very fast, so it’s important to be observant of their eating needs and habits. I love trying different seeds and seed blends to see which ones they like best.
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- The canaries are generally good-natured and social creatures. Healthy canaries will always have clear, bright eyes, clean, smooth feathers, and curious, active dispositions.
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- This is one of two Combassou finches I added to my flock earlier this year. They were gifted to me by my friend, Ari Katz, who is a very knowledgeable and passionate young avian enthusiast. These small, friendly finches are native to South Africa.
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- The finches get along very well with all the canaries. Combassou finches are members of the Whydah family of birds. My male canaries are singing louder than ever – one is singing just behind the finch in this photo.
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- This canary hen is sitting in one of the nests high up in the cage – a great viewing spot.
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- The bold colors of these red factor canaries can range in shades of light peach to apricot to orange to red.
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- The red factor canary, Serinus canaria domestica, is one of the most popular canary breeds. They are prized for their color rather than their song, but they are also very happy singers.
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- These birds are quite active and are constantly flying from perch to perch, level to level.
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- I find these birds to be so photogenic no matter what they’re doing.
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- In general, canaries don’t like lots of handling, but my canaries are used to all the activity around them, so they are never scared when visitors approach.
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- When hatched, canaries are pale yellow-peach or orange. As they grow, they develop more red coloring from the beta carotene in their foods.
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- If you choose to keep canaries, be sure to get the largest cage your budget allows, so they have ample room to exercise, spread their wings, and perch on different levels and surfaces.
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- This baby is eager to see what else may come into the cage.
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- The canaries and finches currently reside in this cage – one of two black ones on my expansive porch. It is always such a joy to come down every morning to hear their chirping and singing.
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