How to distinguish a canary from a canary. Canary canary finch, canary Why canary

Why and how the canary sings

The canary, as an object of research in different directions, has been used quite often, so it has been studied quite well.

For us, it is of interest, first of all, to study the song itself, the process of its origin and the factors influencing it. Scientists from many countries have devoted their research to this issue: Hess E.I., Hind R.A., Steele E.A., Stevenson I.G., Hutchison R.E., Wendon V., Thorp V.H., Poulson and etc.

From these studies it follows that the song is one of the adaptations aimed at the survival of the species. The emergence of a song is due to such a phenomenon as "imprinting", i.e. imprinting, memorizing.

Imprinting plays a huge role in the life of all highly organized biological creatures, providing them with adaptation to changing natural conditions, and thus the survival and existence of the species.

There are two types of imprinting: visual and acoustic (sound). The visual helps to capture the specific features of its parents, which ensures in the future right choice sexual partner.

An example of visual imprinting is the following experiment. Canary eggs were transferred to a pair of siskins. Chizhi fed their chicks safely. Later, these canaries more easily paired with siskins than with canaries. The nestlings of canaries, fed by siskins, captured them as parents and subsequently chose sexual partners among the siskins. The period of visual imprinting is shorter than that of sound imprinting, and it usually lasts from the opening of the eyes of the chicks until the end of their feeding.

The purpose of acoustic imprinting is broader and also aims at the survival of the species.

Its essence is the sound identification (definition) of the species partner, sound marking of its nesting site in order to protect it from food competitors.

Sound identification of a species partner occurs in chicks even in the nesting period, when they capture (“remember”) the voices of their parents.

Growing up and leaving the nest, young birds also capture the sounds of the surrounding background. As adults and having settled in the nesting area, the bird also begins to "memorize" the voices around it and include them in its song, in order to show, thus, everyone around that this nesting site is occupied. This explains the difference in song even among individuals of the same species. Breeding chicks in a different sound background leads to the inclusion in the song not only of the voices of their parents, but also of the knees from songs of other species.

It should be borne in mind that this is also superimposed on individual differences in the development of the vocal apparatus.

It is these factors that explain the individual differences in song in birds of even one species.

The imprinting effect occurs in strictly defined time periods. These periods are due to the periods of functioning of the sex glands (gonads). Testosterone (the secret of male gonads) kind of triggers the imprinting system. Experience has shown that the introduction of testosterone in the inter-nesting period leads to the appearance of the Kenars' susceptibility to song changes, perception and the inclusion of ambient background sounds in their song.

Some species of birds are capable of significant song changes throughout their lives. It is also another adaptation that gives the species an extra chance of survival. To a greater extent, this is characteristic of migrant birds, which every year nest in a new place and are forced to include elements of a new sound background in their song. That is, a bird that grew up in one area, occupying a nesting area with a different sound background, for its protection includes the tribes of local birds in the song.

Other birds have little changeable song. This is mainly characteristic of endemics, i.e. birds permanently living in one place. Wild canary is endemic. She lives in one place, with practically little changing sound background.

Her song changes relatively weakly over time, i.e. genetically, the song of the wild canary is quite stable.

But during the period of domestication of the canary, man shattered its genetic basis, expanded the range of perceived sounds. By means of targeted selection, singing breeds of canaries with different tonality of performance were bred, which, like wild individuals, relatively steadily preserve the breed song. Periods of stable preservation of song in song breeds, as in wild species, are disrupted at moments of hormonal surge and are confined mainly to periods of molting and reproduction. During this time, the male becomes susceptible to imitation of most sounds. This explains why our canaries begin to change the song during these periods.

The release of testosterone can be triggered by external circumstances. A stressful situation forces the body to release hormones into the bloodstream, which also restore imprinting during the period of their action.

Some of the Pavlovian canalists (according to the Moscow canalist P.I. Yalygin) used stress as positive factor when teaching a song. For this, young canaries were laid out in cloth bags and hung freely. The stress sharpened the Kenars' sensitivity to the teacher's song.

Stress, however, can play a negative role as well. So, an unprepared kenar who has not undergone preliminary training, finding himself in an unfamiliar environment, with a different temperature, with a different lighting, sound background can experience severe stress and greatly change the song.

Of course, during human breeding, the domestic canary acquired many additional qualities: its vocal apparatus developed, the range of perceived knees became wider, the exterior changed, etc. Man through directed selection has largely contributed to the development of many qualities.

However, it would be wrong to believe that the canary, despite its long stay in the human house, began to differ in its biological essence from its wild companion.

During the imprinting period, a canary can "take" into a song not only the knees and stanzas of songbirds, but, as practice has shown, even a human voice. But her vocal apparatus, genetically tuned to the perception of certain sounds corresponding to a given breed, most often cannot reproduce them purely.

The canary emerges from the nest with the song model already in place. How this model manifests itself depends on many circumstances.

As already mentioned, a roller canary, in principle, can be taught a song of another breed (for example, Timbrados or Malinois), but these songs will be performed in a special characteristic roller manner, i.e. with a covered beak and in lower tones. Such a song is "inconvenient" for the roller, it does not correspond to the established model, and during the next surge of hormones (stress, breeding period or molt) he will tend to switch to a more characteristic (genetically determined) song for this breed.

Thus, the song of a canary is the result of the influence and interaction of the following factors: the characteristics of the genetically embedded model of the song, the breed characteristics of the vocal apparatus, and the characteristics of the sound background during periods of imprinting.

If these factors are applied to the breed, then it is possible to determine the direction of work to create a song.

Canary breeding aimed at creating a genetically defined song model

Selection aimed at the development and consolidation of the features of the vocal apparatus

Creation of a sound background during the imprinting period corresponding to the genetic characteristics of the breed (song model)

Selection of a specific exterior that best meets the full disclosure of the canary's voice

When all these components coincide, i.e. correspondence of the genetically embedded model of the song to the developed vocal apparatus, physical development and the corresponding sound background during the imprinting period, you can get a real, full-fledged breed.

I would like to touch upon one more issue. Many canalists strive to maximize the number of knees in a song. For this purpose, appropriate recordings are created and during the imprinting period they are given to the canaries as a sound background. As a rule, a canary, after long listening, perceives ("remembers") most of the knees. But in each specific song, she inserts a limited number of knees. Now she inserted one set, then sang with another set. Most often, it is not possible to get the canary to perform all the knees in one song.

What is the reason for this?

Research has shown that a canary's song is time-limited and lasts no more than 45 seconds.

The bird can "remember" and reproduce the song that sounds only within this time. Amateurs, however, most often do not take this fact into account and create records that are much longer in duration. What happens as a result? The same as if you were asked to say a long phrase in five seconds. You will start to throw out some words. So the kenar throws out the knee from the song, sorts them out, changes the set of knees! And we, not taking into account its capabilities, complain: here, they say, again threw out the beautiful "sandpiper" from the song! Here is another reason why it is undesirable to teach kenars with an artificially created song (through a tape recorder or CD-disk).

How can you figuratively represent the process of forming a song (which means on what it is necessary to build the training of young canaries)? Let's digress a little from the canaries.

Imagine a plane in which holes are made in the form of holes. Wells of various sizes, shapes and depths. There are round and large holes, there are smaller and very small holes, triangular holes are also large, smaller and small, rectangular, trapezoidal, slotted, etc. All this is like a genetically formed field of a young canar, a model of his song, his genetically inherent singing abilities, that is, the canar's genetic ability to perform certain tribes. Each hole is only suitable for a specific sound or knee.

Each sound or knee, round, can be represented as an object of a certain shape and size. If this object, in its shape and size, strictly fits a certain hole, we get a pure reproduction of the knee and kenar for a long time and firmly includes it in our song.

If there is no hole on the plane for the size and shape of an object (sound, knee, round), it does not fall into the song. Kenar with his given genetic abilities will not be able to perceive and subsequently reproduce him.

Sounds, tours and knees that deviate from the size and shape of the holes, but somehow fit into them, can be included in the song, but with some distortion.

Let's look at two cases. In the first case, knowing the shape of all the holes (model of the song), we carefully selected sounds-objects for each of them (a training song or a father-teacher) in advance and, at the right time (imprinting period), carefully and according to the shape and size, filled all the holes ... With the appropriate development of the vocal apparatus and physical development, as a result, we get a clean, without distortion, song,

In another, we do not know anything about the peculiarities of the holes and, nevertheless, we select an assortment of sounds-objects in order to fill the field. Do we have confidence in the coincidence of objects and holes? Of course not. Nevertheless, definitely, some objects will match, some will not, and somewhere objects will enter, but with difficulty.

As a result, in both cases, the kenara will have the song. Suppose even such an incredible case that the songs are of the same quality. In the first case, the song is genetically the same, in the second - not. In the first case, the song is created based on the innate abilities of this individual. In the second, in a random way.

What happens if you shake these planes (the period of the next imprinting)? In the first case, little will change: all objects lie tightly in their holes, i.e. the song will retain all its qualities. In the second, something will fall out of the holes and the song will radically change and lose its qualities. Where the objects were simply poured, most of the holes will be free and again filled according to an arbitrary plan.

What kind of canary do we need? The one whose song matches her genetic abilities and lasts for a long time, glorifying her creator? or the one in which the song sounds only during the competition period and disappears at any moment, leaving only a memory?

The course is limited in size and has a limited number of holes. This means the canary can perceive and reproduce a limited number of sounds and knees.

No matter how many objects we throw on the field, the number of holes will be constant and the song will consist of limited quantity knees. It is possible that artificial selection can increase the number of holes, i.e. increase the canary's ability to perceive more knees. But here the question of expediency arises. Does this make sense given the time limit allotted by nature for the song of the canary (about 40-45 seconds)? Which is better: perform 5-6 knees beautifully, clearly and with variations, or patter and, most likely, indistinctly sing 10-15 knees. This question turns into a question of quality versus quantity.

The songbird in the house perfectly cheers up people of all ages. I have long dreamed of getting myself such a pet, since I spend most of my time at home. Good singing and simple grooming were indispensable conditions for the selection. Kenar in this regard is the best option and now I will tell you why.

Chanting kenar

Delightful. You can listen to it by typing the corresponding request in any search engine. All canaries can be divided into colored and singing. If you want a bird with really amazing vocal abilities, you need to choose not for the brightness of color and originality appearance, but exclusively by voice.

For example, my canaric looked rather inconspicuous against the background of cells with
the rest of the pink, red and orange brothers, but his singing conquered immediately. Now, seeing him every day, I couldn't imagine a more beautiful bird.

It is very important that the bird's voice is pleasant and clear, as you will listen to it a lot. Singing kenar begins almost with the first rays of the sun and can continue all day (with short breaks), ending with the lights off in the room. In the dark, the kenar does not sing, therefore, if the smallest member of the family has become "too much", the cage can be covered with a light dense cloth. I personally never do this, mine does not irritate me at all, and in the early morning it does not interfere with sleep even in summer.

As for leaving,

then everything is very simple. Every morning and every evening, the kenar needs to pour 1 teaspoon of the grain mixture into the feeder. In addition, once every couple of days, the bird needs soft food, it can be grated carrots (1 tsp), 1/2 boiled egg yolk, finely chopped or a sprig of greens, 1/5 of an apple, a small banana ring, grated white cabbage, Peking leaf, or lightly boiled broccoli. And there is no need to adhere to any system - what is in the house, then let's. The main thing is only one kind of soft food per day.

Today an apple, in a couple of days a carrot, then an egg ... And do not forget to remove soft food in the evening, because during the night it can deteriorate and there is a risk of poisoning the bird.

Water need a drinker

change daily, be sure to thoroughly rinse the drinker. In principle, if you are leaving for the weekend, then nothing terrible will happen if the drinking bowl will stand for 2 days (just fill it so that there is enough water), but not longer.

Kenar is very likes to swim.

Especially on sunny days. At least once every two days he needs to put
bath, but he does the water procedures so amusingly that the chores with the bath are more of a pleasure than a burden.

Expenses

for everything necessary for this bird is almost penny. From the accessories you need to purchase: a cage, a feeder for mineral sand, a feeder for a grain mixture, a feeder for soft food, a drinker, a bath. There are options for cages for canaries, where everything you need is included. I just didn't have a bath.

By the way, I bought a bath from Trixie, which is suspended from the outside of the cage doors and is closed on all sides except the entrance with transparent plastic. This design is very convenient, since water does not spray in all directions and the bird does not clog it from above.

From edible you need to buy a grain mixture, mineral sand, mineral stone. Additionally, pamper your pet with various spikelets of cereals - the bird loves to bite off the grains itself, and this is useful for the beak.

Now about the disadvantages.

The bird, although a great cleanliness in terms of bathing and the condition of the drinkers, feeders, but itself also litters how. It can spread grain feed within a radius of up to 70 cm! around the cage. Yes, scatters
kenar is not so much, but every day you have to clean it all in any case. So put the cage away from household appliances, bed / sofa and other objects on which you do not want to observe grain scattering. It is optimal if the cage is on a separate shelf or cabinet, around which there is free access for cleaning. In addition to grain, the kenar will scatter feathers, fortunately only once a year, during the moult.

In the photo you can see that my Yshik is standing near the computer - this is not very correct. First, rubbish. Secondly, loud sounds are unpleasant for the bird itself, and I also have a speaker here (but after all, I originally wrote that I needed an undemanding belly, that's why I bought the game - they are more hardy). Thirdly, my husband is a furniture maker, because the whole structure that you see is on wheels. Guess where my morning starts? That's right - sweep after our birdie. And the back wall, which looks like the back of a throne, blocks (partially) the loss of debris into hard-to-reach places. By the way, everything is divided between us and the bird: the upper drawer for Ysh, the second for me (fondant / mascara), the third for the husband (business cards / business papers, yes, I know they are called documents!), And the fourth has a particularly important function - there are stored chargers for mobiles, adapters from a gadget to another, in short, all the snake-like brotherhood. By the way, I advise all women reading to have such a box - very convenient! So the bird also brought practical benefits. But start the drawer anyway, though my faithful manages to leave it anyway, either charging a book in the kitchen or from the body on the balcony .. Well, we still have that family that uses a camera, a phone and an e-book as separate family members. Well, at least you don't need to wear pictures for development). But something I got distracted)

Acquiring a Kenar,

you won't be able to travel often. Traveling the bird can be traumatic as
psychologically and physically, although there are special for canaries
transport cages. You can leave the bird alone for no longer than 2 days. I found a way out in a responsible comrade who, during my vacation, visits the bird every two days and strictly follows everything according to the list printed out to him as a guide.

Again about singing.

You and the other family members need to really like the way the bird sings. Among about 30 of my friends and acquaintances, there were 5 people who were frankly annoyed by the singing of my bird. Some to the point that they ask me to go to another room even during a telephone conversation with them. At the same time, the canary can simply whistle quietly, and not sing its most sonorous trills. Imagine what it would be like for such people to live in the same house with my bird, and even more so to care for it.

Kenar is an intelligent, sociable, funny, undemanding bird in the maintenance and care. But, like any other pet, you need to love him. Only then do all the minuses become pluses, and small inconveniences become pleasant troubles.

Instructions

Try to hear the song of the young kenar, as vocal abilities are considered to be his main gender difference. However, you should wait until the chick is more than six months old. By the age of 4 months, these birds end their juvenile molt, and they gain strength. Babies (both males and females) can publish timid, therefore it is extremely difficult to accurately determine their gender. In addition, some begin to sing in full voice only by the year.

Watch the matured birds. Kenar always shows a greater interest in singing, each time he "plays" louder and diversifies the repertoire. Notice how strong his throat is. In rare cases, she can master singing, but her roulades are not distinguished by beauty and wealth. The neck of the female does not swell; more familiar sounds for her - squeak, whistle and coo.

Try to distinguish a canary from a female canary by appearance. Usually the tail "" is slightly shorter. Gently flip the bird upside down and blow on the feathers in the lower belly. In female birds, the cloaca looks flat; in "boys" it is convex and has the shape of a small cylinder. If you hold the cock under the tail, he will actively resist; the chicken will "shyly" curl its paws. However, the described method for determining the sex of a canary does not give a 100% guarantee.

If an exquisite song helps to identify the canary, then the female canary is her first egg. In the second half of March, prepare a nest box or go birdwatching at the breeder. The birds (among which there are supposedly pairs) should fly freely around the room or in the aviary. An important condition for a normal "marriage" is the age of the birds from 11-18 months to 4 years and good health.

Now the most widespread breeds of canaries are yellow, "canary" color. But it was not always so.

In 1495, the Italian artist Giovanni Pietro da Birago, illustrating a handwritten textbook of Latin for the young Duke of Sforza, first depicted two yellow canaries.

Science and Life // Illustrations

At the beginning of the 15th century, Spanish sailors, returning to Europe from the Canary Islands, began to bring strange souvenirs with them - finches with plumage of an uninteresting gray-greenish color. The sailors called them "Canary birds". But when such a modest looking bird opened its beak, enchanting sounds flowed from it.

Wonderful singers (only males sing in canaries) quickly fell into favor with the royals of Europe. The birds were so rare that it was not considered shameful for the king to send such a gift to another monarch. Canaries were kept in gilded cages. Ordinary people they were not available. Although birds were caught and sent to the continent in the hundreds, the Canary birders and their intermediaries specifically traded only males so that no one could establish the breeding of valuable birds. In 1555, the German zoologist Konrad Gesner noted in his work "History of Animals": "These birds are very expensive everywhere, firstly, because of their sweet voice, and secondly, because they are rarely brought from afar, with they are looked after with care along the way, so that they are accessible only to noble persons. "

Although the Spaniards tried to prevent females from entering Europe, however, since both sexes are outwardly similar, some females nevertheless ended up among the imported goods. Germany became the breeding center, and until recently it was believed that it was the Germans who bred the yellow canary. This opinion was based on three drawings of canaries discovered in the 1920s in a rare German book about birds published in 1610. Two were common, gray-green, and the third had white wings and extensive yellow patches all over its body. From this, ornithologists concluded that a mutant canary was found around that time, and since the first written mention of yellow canaries dates back to 1677, apparently, it took several decades to breed yellow birds.

Now we know that the color of a canary's plumage is determined by several independent genes, which makes it unlikely that a yellow mutation will appear in a wild population, especially in a relatively small one: there are now about 160 thousand wild canaries in their homeland. So the hatching of the yellow bird could well take several decades.

However, a recent find by English ornithologist Tim Birkhead showed that the canary could turn yellow two centuries earlier than the generally accepted date. He found a handwritten, miniature-illustrated textbook of Latin, written around 1495 for Duke Maximilian Sforza, who was then 5-6 years old. The powerful Sforza family ruled Milan for almost a hundred years. Two drawings depict typical yellow canaries, and in one of them the bird is fed with a panicle of millet, the favorite food of canaries. So, for the first time yellow canaries were bred in Italy. But most likely, says Birkhead, this line has simply died out. The dukes could hardly lend such a rare bird to others for crossing and breeding, especially since, as already mentioned, there were almost no females in Europe. And the German breeders had to start crossbreeding and selection all over again, on their own.

Your birds. Or unscrupulous owners who did not arrange proper living conditions for the canaries. Canar singing can also disappear for natural reasons. Let's see why this is happening.

Maybe it's all about molting

Shedding is the most common reason for singing out. While the plumage is changing, the bird's body spends a lot of energy and vital substances. Because of this, the kenar's activity decreases, he becomes lethargic, drowsy, and may partially or completely stop singing.

Stressful situations

Kenar is able to stop singing for a long time if he is under great stress. Perhaps he was recently moved to a new place of residence - a sudden change in scenery can scare the bird.

The psychological state of a canary can be influenced by pets. The cat may suddenly attack the cage and try to shove its paws into it. Or a dog will start visiting the kenar and bark at him. And if there are small children in the new house, then they can easily scare the bird by shaking the cage.

The owner must explain to the children how to deal with the new tenant. The kenar himself must be left alone for a few days. You need to hang the cage with the bird in a quiet room, close the door so that the animals cannot get to it. At first, only the owner can enter the room to change the canary's food and water.

Kenar has a very gentle ear. Any loud, harsh, unpleasant noise can cause the bird to experience shock and stop singing. These situations include:

  • repairs;
  • the arrival of a large number of guests;
  • noisy feast;
  • loud music;
  • loud quarrels of the owners;
  • constant crying of the baby.

It is better to protect the canary from such situations, otherwise she will not only give up, but also fall into depression. In this state, the bird can wither and die.

An unsuccessful acquaintance with a female can also force the canary to refuse to sing. If the female dislikes the male, she will begin to peck him and chase him throughout the cage. After such stress, the canar will sing only when he comes to his senses.

If poorly maintained, the kenar can shut up

The singing of the kenar is strongly influenced by poor living conditions. The cage may hang in an inappropriate place, where the constant movement of household members distracts the bird. And if the cage is installed near the TV, then its sounds will drown out the canary. And he simply does not want to "shout out" them. Frequent rearrangement of the cell can also affect.

Failure to comply with sanitary standards, especially in outdoor enclosures during the hot season, often leads to the spread of tracheal mites. Because of his activities, the canar will be silent for a long time.

To avoid the appearance of a tick, it is necessary to regularly carry out the treatment of bird dwellings and internal equipment with steam, boiling water or "Desinsectal". Rinse off the disinfectant thoroughly with warm water. Periodic bird inspection is required.

Sudden changes in temperature, draft, dry air, life in the dark and other inconsistencies in the conditions of detention also have a bad effect on the condition of the little singer. He can not only stop singing, but also.

Painful silence

The sick canary sings little and does not want to. Often he becomes silent altogether, as he does not feel well. In addition, the bird may eat poorly or completely refuse to eat, sit for a long time in one place, ruffled, suffer from diarrhea or constipation, go bald, cough, wheeze.

In this case, you should contact your veterinarian.

Eat, sleep - rest

The Kenar's desire to sing is influenced by the length of daylight hours, both natural and artificial. Basically, a decrease in bird singing activity is observed in winter. But this is necessary - the canary needs to be given time to rest, sleep and gain strength.

Sometimes the owners, in an effort to get many chicks, arrange a long light period for the canaries all year round. In such a rhythm, the birds do not have time to rest. Regular stimulation of activity often leads to their depletion. If we add to this poor-quality or monotonous food, it is no wonder that the canar fell silent.

Excess weight is one of the causes of the problem

Singing Kenar can be silenced if he dialed excess weight... Obese birds are sedentary. They generally lose the desire to do anything, let alone strain for long trills.

To determine if the canary is overweight, it must be placed in the hand with its back to the palm. Then blow on your tummy. With obesity, yellow bumps will be visible on it - subcutaneous fat.

This must be done carefully so that the bird does not inhale the carbon dioxide released during exhalation. Otherwise, she may die.

To remedy the situation, the canary needs to be put on a diet. For one to two weeks, his daily diet should consist of corn or rice porridge, rice broth. In order not to harm the bird's body with limited nutrition, its menu should also include vitamins and means to increase immunity.

Walking around the room regularly will also help the kenar lose weight. When he regains his normal physical form, he will sing again.

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