Canary

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This page is about the wild bird. See Domestic Canary for the cagebird.

Canary
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae   Genus: Serinus   Species: S. canaria
Binomial name
Serinus canaria (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Canary (Serinus canaria) sometimes called the Island Canary, Wild Canary or Atlantic Canary, is a small bird in the finch family.

This bird is native to the Azores, the Canary Islands, and Madeira. The bird was named after the Canary Islands, not the other way around; "Canary" is derived from the Latin canaria, "of the dogs", referring to the numerous dogs kept by the inhabitants of the islands.

It is 12.5-13.5 cm long, with a wingspan of 20-23 cm and a weight of 15-20 g. It is yellow-green, with brownish streaking on its back. It is about 10% larger, longer and less contrasted than its relative the Serin, and has more grey and brown in its plumage and relatively shorter wings. The song is a silvery twittering like the Goldfinch.

Its habitat is semi-open areas such as orchards and copses, where it nests in bushes or trees, from sea level up to 1,500 m altitude.

The population is considered stable, with the following totals:

• Azores: 30,000-60,000 pairs.
• Canary Islands: 80,000-90,000 pairs.
• Madeira: 4,000-5,000 pairs.