Fun Norwich Canary Facts For Kids

Do you like canary birds, like the border canary? Then here we have all the information on the Norwich canary.

The Norwich canary is a 'type canary' that is actually a domesticated canary bird. They are extremely famous as pets. That's why they live in households all over the world.

They have a robust body with a thick neck and a large head. That's why they have gained another name which is John bull canary. Mostly they come in green color or yellow color, but Norwich canaries of white, cinnamon and variegated colors can also be seen.

Taking care of these birds is quite easy, but they are not the best birds for beginners. Get a spacious cage for these birds because all pet canary birds love open habitats.

Read on to know more about the Norwich canary and if you like this article, then also check out Gloster canary and yellow canary.

Norwich Canary Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Norwich canary?

The Norwich canary is a type of canary or songbird that belongs to the family of the Fringillidae.

What class of animal does a Norwich canary belong to?

Just like all other birds of the world, the Norwich canary too belongs to the class of Aves of the Animalia kingdom.

How many Norwich canaries are there in the world?

The Norwich canary is a widely famous bird that is found in England. However, it is extremely difficult to make an estimate of the total population of the Norwich Canaries in the world.

As the Norwich canaries are a part of the domesticated canaries, therefore they have a conservation status as Least Concern. Thus, we can assume that the population of these birds is quite significant.

Where does a Norwich canary live?

As per the name, these song birds are usually found in the Norwich area in England. Apart from the East coast, these birds are highly popular and thus can also be found all over England.

The Norwich canary is a part of the subspecies of the domesticated canaries and the latter is a hugely popular bird and thus is found all over the globe.

What is a Norwich canaries' habitat?

A wide range of landforms comprises the habitat of the Norwich Canaries. These birds can be found in forests, especially pine forests that are found in the United Kingdom. These songbirds can also be found in orchards, gardens, parks, dunes out in the wild. In the city, these breeds of birds reside in trees and gardens.

Who does Norwich canary live with?

Just like the domesticated canary the Norwich canary bird prefers freedom and thus opts for a solitary life. These are not so social birds and thus cannot be found living in groups and pairs as they prefer living alone.

As pets, it is wise to keep them alone with open and sufficient flying space so that they can feel free.

How long does a Norwich canary live?

In general, the lifespan of the canary bird is around 10-12 years out in the wild. However, this lifespan is greatly increased if they are kept as pets and where they are provided with utmost care and protection. As pets, these birds can live for almost 20 years.

How do they reproduce?

Though the Norwich canary is not a social bird it is known to build its nests in pairs during the breeding season. These are monogamous birds and thus they have an only a mating partner during the mating season, unlike other polygamous animals.

The nests are often hidden behind trees or bushes and these little birds are extremely territorial and both the mating pair take huge pride in effectively defending their nests from other birds and animals.

Though the breeding season differs in many parts of the world, it is assumed that the peak time for laying eggs occurs in the month of April. Around three to five eggs are laid per clutch and the eggs are often different from one another in terms of color.

Different hues of color like blue, violet, or red markings are often seen.

What is their conservation status?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed this breed of canary as a species of Least Concern. Not much is known about their population trend, and since it is a very common bird, we can eventually consider the population trend to be fairly stable.

As this bird is often a common choice as a pet, we can assume that there is not much threat to their livelihood and breeders take proper care in their breeding at the aviaries.

However, out in the wild, these birds often face great threats due to human activities.

These include habitat destruction, climate change, and capture for pets. The breeders in the aviaries should take proper care in the breeding of these birds, else we can see a sudden decline in the population of these breeds of birds.

Norwich Canary Fun Facts

What does the Norwich canary look like?

We were unable to source an image of a Norwich canary and have used an image of Herz rollers instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Norwich canary, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com

The Norwich canary is a medium-sized canary species. It is a 'type canary' that means they have been bred for domestication purposes for a long time and their ancestors were the wild canary birds. They are bred mainly because of their physical appearance.

They have a robust appearance altogether owing to their large head and thick neck. It's also called John Bull canary owing to its somewhat bullish appearance. These canaries come in either yellow, green, white, cinnamon, and variegated.

How cute are they?

These are highly cute birds and thus they are sought by numerous pet owners all over the globe. The small and cute appearance of these birds is bound to make them look adorable in the eyes of all pet bird owners and bird lovers.

How do they communicate?

Domesticated canaries, like Norwich canaries, are such a favorite bird for so many people because of their appearance and beautiful elaborate songs. These birds are able to sing complex note songs that will surely charm many people. Females of these birds can be a little quieter than males.

How big is a Norwich canary?

An adult Norwich canary is about 6.3 in (16 cm) in size. They are slightly larger in size than the cape canary. Cape canaries are about 4-5 in (11-13 cm) in size.

How fast can a Norwich canary fly?

The exact speed at which Norwich canaries fly is not known. They have not been observed flying far and fast because mostly they live in enclosed spaces, like a large cage or an aviary.

They are descendants of wild canaries and some wild canaries have been seen to be able to fly at a speed of 20-30 mph (32.2-48.3 kph).

How much does a Norwich canary weigh?

The exact weight of the Norwich canary is not known. They are medium-sized birds, so it can be assumed that they don't weigh a lot. Domesticated canaries, in general, weigh about 0.4-1.1 oz (12-30 g) on average.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The males are known as cocks while their female counterparts are known as hens.

What would you call a baby Norwich canary?

All baby birds are known as chicks. Therefore in the case of a baby Norwich canary it will also be known as a chick or more accurately it will be known as a Norwich canary chick.

What do they eat?

Domesticated canaries, like the Norwich canary, Yorkshire canary, lizard canary, or more can eat commercial food specifically made for canaries and organic green food as well. Hence, you can give them rape seeds or mixes of canary seeds that you can easily get in any pet store near you.

You can give them greens as well, but in that case, provide them with a little cuttlebone as well so that they can get the required calcium for their body.

Are they dangerous?

No, these birds are not at all dangerous. They are rather very timid and shy.

They are extremely good-natured and at times too timid, so it's better to not keep them together with other species of aggressive birds, like parakeets, hookbills, or lovebirds. The male Norwich canaries have been observed to be quite territorial, so they might fight amongst each other if you keep two of them together.

Other than that, these charming birds don't cause any harm to humans or otherwise.

Would they make a good pet?

They make excellent pets. They are easy to care for, but they are not ideal for beginners who are keeping pet birds for the first time.

Canaries like open spaces, so if you are thinking of keeping one as a pet, get a large enough cage.

It should have small perches and vertical bars of different sizes and at different lengths so that they can get enough foot exercise.

Get one perch set that is situated high enough in the cage for the bird to roost and keep the cage at a high place as well, so that the bird can look down when it is talking to you.

You can leave them out of the cage as well, but your bird still requires taming for that.

The canaries like bathing, so keep a birdbath for them where they can bathe. They don't require toys or other things to play with, a simple swing can be enough to keep them entertained.

If you have a large aviary, then the best birds that they can be housed with are hardbills, finches, or other species of pet canaries.

If you want to hear them sing the best, you should keep one male in a single cage. For the maintenance of these birds, you will only need to clean their cage and trim their toenails at a regular interval.

Did you know...

The nickname of the Norwich City Football Club is The Canaries. The Flemish weavers escaped from the Spanish Netherlands around 300 years ago in the 1560s and brought the yellow and green domesticated canaries to Norwich. An early chairman of the club was an avid breeder of these Norwich canaries, hence the nickname.

Norwich canaries come in two types - the standard plain-head Norwich canary and the crested Norwich canary.

Who brought the canaries to Norwich?

The Norwich canary history tells us that they are one of the oldest among the pet canary birds. Around 300 years ago, Flemish refugees brought these canaries to Norwich of England. Since then, the bird has gained popularity and got its name from the city of Norwich, England.

Do Norwich canaries sing?

Yes, mostly males sing. Females are quieter and their call sounds more like chirping sounds. However, the robust appearance is rather more famous than the Norwich canary singing. If you want a canary that can sing the best, the best pet canary for that would be the Herz roller canary.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our parrot facts and Amazon parrot facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Norwich canary coloring pages.