The Social Habits of a Canary

Canaries are popular birds to keep around as pets, noted for being easy to care for and for singing complex songs, which are sung by male canaries. Those songs are also the subject of scholarly study, as they say quite a bit about their social habits. In general, canaries are very social creatures and exhibit those habits in different ways.

  1. Cheery Nature

    • Canaries are peppy, cheerful birds for the most part. They do not require attention from humans or other birds. This makes them a good pet for people who do not have the time to invest in an animal that will crave their attention. Multiple perches are good for pet canaries, because they constantly move and jump from perch to perch. If a canary does not move, appears puffed up and is not cheerful, it is a sign that the bird is likely sick. Take the cue and visit a vet.

    Learning Songs

    • Canaries love to sing, and they are known for their varied and complex songs. Just as a human learns to talk from its parents, so do canaries learn to sing from their parents, or the birds they are raised around. A study performed by the City University of New York found that canaries raised among like varieties (there are a number of different types of canaries) will learn songs that pertain to that particular variety. However, if a canary is raised in a group of different canaries, it will still learn to sing. However, it will adopt the songs of the other canary type. This shows that all canaries are able to learn the songs of other varieties, but they prefer their own.

    Mating Song

    • Research performed at Moscow University's Vertebrate Zoology Department shows that a particular song is sung by male canaries that elicits a sexual response from females. These songs involve the repetition of a complex two-note syllable. These songs, which reveal a male canary's desire to mate, indicate the quality of the male bird in question, such as its health. Female canaries can pick up on this by listening to the song. It has been shown that this particular song regularly elicits a sexual response in female canaries.

    Canaries and Other Birds

    • In the same way that a canary does not seek or require attention from a human owner, it also does not need the companionship of another bird. In fact, canaries prefer to be by themselves when they are kept in a cage as pets. Putting two canaries together of like sex can cause animosity between the two, which can result in anger, fighting and even death. Mixing a male with a female is more likely to get a positive social result.