Fun Atlantic Canary Facts For Kids

Atlantic Canary, Serinus canaria, is known by many different names including canary or Common canary. The bird is also known as the island canary or Canary Island canary. The small passerine bird is the only wild canary in the world. The bright yellow bird is closely related to the smaller European Serin, but duller in color. The small songbird, Atlantic canary, is native to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. It has also be found in many different local areas recently, apart from the wild. For hundreds of years, canaries have been the favorite species for bird keepers and have been bred into 200 different species, same as for dogs. The breeding of this bird is also done in the African continent apart from the subregions mentioned above in Spain. It has recently been found that apart from its wild natural heritage living in the wildlife, it is mostly used as a domestic pet in many homes. The distribution of this bird has been widespread. They nest in quiet areas with trees and less population of other animals. Bred in domestic captivity, the species seem to have a longer life than in the wild much like its counterpart European Serin. In the beginning, the Atlantic canary was kept as a subspecies to the European Serin, but later it was changed. These two birds are crossed a lot as they can produce 25% fertile hybrids on average. Read on to learn about the Atlantic canary (Serinus canaria).

There are also other similar-looking and sounding birds out there - the cardinal and America kestrel. You can read more about them only on our website.

What type of animal is an Atlantic canary?

The Atlantic canary (Serinus canaria) is a type of songbird, very famous for its beautiful voices.

What class of animal does an Atlantic canary belong to?

The Atlantic canary (Serinus canaria) falls under the class Aves in the family of birds in the Animalia kingdom.

How many Atlantic canaries are there in the world?

As per a recent census, the population of the species of the bird, Atlantic canary, Serinus canaria, is estimated to be about 80000-90000 pairs in the Canary Islands, 30000-60000 pairs in the Azores, and around 4000-5000 in the Madeira in Spain. The yellow bird is also found in Midway Atoll in Hawaii’s Northwestern Chain in the mid-Pacific.

Where does an Atlantic canary live?

The Atlantic canary lives in a wide variety of habitats. The species live in the pines, laurel forests, and sand dunes. The canaries are most commonly found in semi-open areas with small trees. Trees such as orchards and copses.

What is an Atlantic canary's habitat?

The domestic bird, Atlantic Canary, apart from on the island are mostly found in man-made areas like parks and gardens too. The Atlantic canary is found extensively in the Canary Islands, Azores, and Madeira of the region of Macaronesia in the eastern Atlantic ocean. The species are common in Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro in the Canary Islands. The birds have also recently started breeding in Grab Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura but are rare in those places of Spain.

In Madeira, the Atlantic canary is common in Porto Santo and the Desertas Islands. It is also found on Salvage Island. The canaries are also found on all islands of the Azores. The population is scattered from sea level to 760 m in Madeira, sea level to 1100 m in the Azores, and to above 1500 m in the Canary Islands of Spain.  

In the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the population is found in Midway Atoll. It was also established in Bermuda Island in 1930, but could not exist as the scale insects killed all the Atlantic canary population in that area. It can also be seen in Puerto Rico but in less capacity.

Who do Atlantic canaries live with?

The Atlantic canary, Serinus canaria, lives in groups of canaries in the wild. But they are often bred in-house and their distribution is found all over the world as a household domestic pet. They live with humans.

How long does an Atlantic canary live?

Usually, an Atlantic canary survives 8-10 years in the wild and up to 20 years while breeding in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

The Atlantic Canary binds the team with each pair in defense of smaller regions. These canaries are gregarious birds who build their nest on a tree or shrub 1-6 m above the ground. They hide the nest well within the leaves. They make them with stems, grasses, shoals, and any other plant materials the canaries can find including hair and feathers.

There are different time zones of the egg hatching period. In the Canary Islands, the eggs from the female hatch between January to July; April and May in Madeira, and from March to July in the Azores. July is the peak time for the hatching of the eggs laid by the female. The males help both in feeding and hatching the eggs. The eggs have pale blue or blue-green markings marked with purple or red. There are usually three to five eggs laid by the female canaries and two to three broods are raised each year. Both the male and female incubate the eggs for 13-14 days in their local habitat for breeding and after hatching, the young canary birds leave the nest after 14-21 days, commonly after 15-17 days from their habitat.

What is their conservation status?

The birds are found widespread all over the world and specifically in Spain. There is no immediate danger to their life and therefore, the conservation status of the Atlantic canary is kept at Least Concern.  

What do Atlantic canaries look like?

The canary is a sparrow-like finch with heavy streaking with a body that is largely graying with a variable amount of yellow.

The male canaries have yellow-green heads and have an under-part with a more yellow forehead, face, and supercilium. The lower belly and under tail are white in color with some dark streaks on the sides. The upper parts are dark gray-green and the pump is pale yellow. The female canaries look similar to the male but paler with gray heads and breasts and less yellow underparts. The juveniles or the young ones are mostly brown with dark streaking. The juvenile canaries have fewer hints of yellow in the body and tail and are brownish in color. Juveniles mostly resemble the female. The adults, especially female canaries, have more brown than the male canaries. The Atlantic canary has a pale pink beak, brown legs, and brown-greenish forked tail.

How cute are they?

The small canaries are quite cute with their beautiful bodies and melodious sound.

How do they communicate?

The canaries have a melodious sound with liquid notes. The song of an Atlantic canary is silver tweeting.

How big is an Atlantic canary?

The length of the Atlantic canary varies from 3.9-4.7 in (10-12 cm). The wingspan of the canaries is from 8.3-9.3 in (21-23.7 cm). The Atlantic canary is 10% bigger than the European Serin which is also bright yellow in color and has distinct features.

How fast can an Atlantic canary fly?

There is no defined speed of the Atlantic canary but is found to be very fast and fly for a longer duration of time.

How much does an Atlantic canary weigh?

The average weight of the Atlantic canary varies from 0.03-0.04 lb (15-20 g).

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no different names for the sexes of the canary. They are known collectively as Atlantic canary or by their scientific name, Serinus canaria.

What would you call a baby Atlantic canary?

A baby Atlantic canary is either called a chick or a juvenile.

What do they eat?

The Atlantic canary usually lives in a field or in low vegetation. It feeds on seeds such as weeds, grasses, and figs. It also eats insects and other plant materials.

Are they dangerous?

They are very friendly and quiet. They pose no threat to anyone.

Would they make a good pet?

Atlantic canary birds make for a very good pet with their beautiful looks and melodious voice.

Did you know...

With consistent practice and patience, canary birds can be trained to a great level. These are intelligent birds and can be trained to sit on the hands, move to a perch or direct them to fly around the room.

Why are canary birds called canaries?

The Atlantic canary is named after the Canary Islands in Spain. The islands' name came from the Latin name Canariae insulae, which was used to refer to the large dogs domesticated by the inhabitants of the islands.

Should I cover my canary cage at night?

The Atlantic Canary can be kept in a cage, but it should be big enough for the bird to fly around at all times. There is no need to cover the cage during the night, as the birds are accustomed to living in the wild in their natural habitat. They love sleeping in the darkness. However, if there is enough light and noise in the house, it is recommended to cover the cage with a towel or blanket at night to help the birds sleep.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including chipping sparrow or rainbow bee eater.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Amazon parrot coloring pages.