I would like to have a Canary with a pleasant song, but it's hard to choose one in a bird shop because of the noise from the other birds. How/where do people choose and buy Canaries? Are there specialist breeders in the Sydney area? I am hoping to find a pure yellow Canary with a sweet song - nothing too raucous.
Most breeders breed for type, that is to say the appearance and bearing of the bird.
Some varieties are bred for song, however, including rollers, timbrados, American singers and so on.
If you talk to someone from your local club, you could perhaps get put on to a breeder of one of those varieties.
I breed for song, but do not show my birds. My criteria for a good singer include a strong and clear voice and a long and varied song.
I prefer to select good-looking, well-proportioned birds with good song, but if I have an ugly bird who is an exceptional singer, I'll give him a go.
I have a geriatric blue American singer who has produced my best singers for several years: he is exceedingly ill-proportioned with overlong wings, a stumpy tail and a big ugly head, but he can sing. He is a terrible flier, but his children are better proportioned and can sing, too.
I don't currently have a clean yellow singer, but if you would like a marked bird (or a cinnamon, or a marked Gloucester) who sings well you could pick it up tomorrow.
I am about three hours from Sydney, but visit quite often.
If you've had no luck in a couple of months, PM me. By then we'll have seen which of the current crop are boys and I may well have a clean yellow singer for you.
Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches. The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
Give this club a try a lot of them breed canaries.
Manly Warringah Aviculture Society
C/- Secretary 32 Fairlight Street, Fairlight
02 9949 2692
Garry [this is not my phone number]
