{"id":12567,"date":"2025-05-06T00:10:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T05:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/windycityparrot.com\/blog\/?p=12567"},"modified":"2025-05-06T00:10:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T05:10:19","slug":"the-differences-between-finches-and-canaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/?p=12567","title":{"rendered":"The Differences Between Finches And Canaries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">The zebra finch and canary are the most popular birds kept by pet owners, after budgies and cockatiels. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">They also have a long history in captivity, as does the society finch. Let\u2019s take a look at how these birds are alike and how they differ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Similarities<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">If you\u2019re considering adding a finch or a canary to your family, you might be surprised to find that a canary is a finch. So you are only choosing among finches, really. Zebra finches, society finches, also called Bengalese finches, and canaries actually have a lot in common.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Though they are both finches, canaries and society finches as we know them don\u2019t actually exist in the wild! Society finches were raised by the Chinese and Japanese for hundreds of years. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">After all this time raised as captive pets, they have changed from whatever wild finch is their forebear, and they are eminently suited to life in a cage or aviary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe title=\"Canaries as Pets: The Pros and Cons of Keeping a Canary as Pet!\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ErkfcChIgT8\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Canaries have been kept for hundreds of years as well. The Spanish first started keeping, breeding and trading in the singing finches native to the Canary Islands. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Over time, canaries have developed into numerous breeds, none of which bear a resemblance to wild finches anymore. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Even though canaries are not found in their pet forms in nature, there is one spot where they have been released and thrive. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">n 1911 canaries were released in the Hawaiian Islands, and there are still some on the Midway Atoll. Yes, bright yellow \u201cTweety\u201d birds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The term \u201ccanary\u201d for our companion finches comes from the name applied to the Canary Islands, located off the coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These islands were named after the large dogs on the islands, in Latin<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">canaria<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. So the canary finch is named after the dogs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Canaries, society finches, and zebra finches are all cage birds and wonderful companions \u2013 to watch. For the most part, they won\u2019t perch on your finger or obey commands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe title=\" How to Take Care of Zebra Finches - Ultimate Guide \" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/auT5WFFN240\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">They will live in flight cages and you will observe them, listen to them and care for them. Because these are mainly caged pets or aviary birds, be sure to provide a large environment for them so that they can fly and have plenty of room to move about.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both finches and canaries do well on a diet based on small seeds, and a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/canaryfinch-c-484_244\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">formulated diet<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In addition, finch keepers usually supply egg food for their companions, and calcium in the form of oyster shell or grated cuttlebone, or chicken eggshells that are dried in the oven and crushed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">All of these birds enjoy bathing. It\u2019s simple to encourage them. Put a shallow saucer of water on the bottom of their aviary or cage, and let them go for it. Or try a <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/bathe-c-255_777\/\">birdbath<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">The birds will especially enjoy bathing during hot weather. They air dry fine; bathing stimulates grooming, keeping your finches looking their best.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/can-a-canary-and-weaver-finch-share-a-cage\/<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">All of these species have been favorites in captivity, and through many years of captive breeding, mutation colors have developed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Society finches range from dark to light browns, white and cream; each one is colored differently, in fact. Zebra finches come in a variety of brown\/gray\/chestnut and white mutations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">American zebra finches are mostly the size of their wild counterparts, about 4 inches long. Zebra finches called \u201cGerman\u201d or \u201cEnglish\u201d are those that have been bred for exhibition and are often larger or longer than the typical zebra finch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">In canaries, there are not only color mutations, but the difference in shapes. Canary breeds have been established, much as in domesticated dogs or cats. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Canaries are bred for either their song, color or their type. They range in color from white to gray to red and sherbet-orange. Some have patterning on their feathers, and in the type canaries, their body type and feather quality vary considerably. No, canaries aren\u2019t all plain yellow finches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Differences<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Though zebra finches, society finches and canaries are all finches, they originated in different parts of the world. We already mentioned that canaries are the descendants of finches from the Canary Islands off Africa. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Canaries with a reddish tint are hybrids between these finches and the Venezuelan black-hooded red siskin. These birds feathers can be further enhanced by using <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/egg-food-c-484_770\/higgins-protein-red-egg-food-for-canaries-5-oz-14175-g-p-555.html\">color food<\/a> that contributes to their red color.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"> Society finches were kept in China and Japan, but are sometimes bred to other finches. Zebra finches are natives of the arid Australian desert.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">One of the big differences among these birds is the fact that zebra finches are sexually dimorphic. At least in their wild, or normal color, the males and females differ in color once they reach maturity at 3 months old. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">The males have the zebra striping, a chestnut ear patch, chestnut flanks, and bright red beak, while the female is a subdued brown with a lighter colored beak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/product\/volkman-featherglow-canary-finch-food-4-lb\/<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">You can\u2019t tell male and female canaries or society finches apart by color.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Each of these companion birds has a different temperament. Society finches are\u2026 well, social! They like to be in groups. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Though they don\u2019t need a <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/breed-c-356_223\/nest-box-wood-finches-inside-cage-mount-p-814.html\">nest box<\/a> if there is one available they pile up inside it. They have a passive temperament and can be kept with other birds. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Zebra finches are \u201cpushy\u201d and may quarrel among themselves; they do like to be kept in pairs and in small flocks, but in a mixed aviary they should be kept with other busybody species. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Canaries are territorial and solitary. The best situation for a companion canary is to keep a solitary male for its singing ability. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Female canaries rarely sing, and they raise their clutches on their own without a male contributing to chick rearing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Though none of these finches talk, the canary is a fair imitator of sounds. A male can pick up beeps and tones and the calls of other birds as he is creating a repertoire for himself. That is not true of the other two finches. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Both the society and zebra finch males also sing, though their \u201csong\u201d is a bubbly, grating, beeping sound. Listen to some on YouTube. Not anything like the trills and melodic songs of canaries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Finch Or Canary For You?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a personal choice which species you choose. Consider their housing and song when making your choice. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Facebook, Silla De Gato<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said, \u201csociety and zebra finches are very social \u2014 you can toss almost any of them together and they will happily coexist (may have their turf wars but will work it out), canaries can be very territorial.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ginny Tata-Phillips mentioned supplements to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/canaryfinch-c-484_244\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">formulated diet<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> she offers her canaries and finches. \u201cYes, they eat egg food, but I usually give them crumbled hardboiled egg. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They love cooked brown rice mixed with frozen corn.\u00a0 They love Romaine lettuce but are not too fond of other greens \u2014I have tried parsley, kale and celery leaves. They eat (8 of them) 1\/4 slice of whole-grain wheat bread per day.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About the author:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Diane Grindol was the author of Bird Talk magazine\u2019s \u201cSmall Birds\u201d column from 1995 to 2012 and has written numerous books dedicated to pet birds, including Amazon.com\u2019s top-selling cockatiel books \u201cThe Complete Book of Cockatiels\u201d (1998) and \u201cCockatiels For Dummies\u201d (2001). Diane is also co-author of \u201cBirds Off The Perch\u201d (Simon &amp; Schuster, 2003), which is a parrot behavior book and parrot owner\u2019s manual. Grindol shares her life with a small flock of cockatiels, a blue-headed Pionus parrot and a guinea pig.<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/product\/birdie-basics-swing-by-prevue-pet-for-parakeet-4&#215;5\/<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>ONE COMMENT ON \u201cFINCH OR CANARY \u2014 WHAT\u2019S THE DIFFERENCE?\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patricia del V. on <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/lafebercares.com\/finch-or-canary-whats-the-difference\/#comment-17954\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">June 30, 2013 at 3:30 am<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> said:<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Thank you, Diane, for this news and somewhat \u201cinside story.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">My great uncle kept canaries and was quite devoted to their care. This was in Havana, Cuba where I was raised. And we have relatives in the Islas Canarias.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Patricia<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Bonus round!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/Can-you-keep-two-canaries-of-the-same-gender-in-a-cage\"><b>Can you keep two canaries of the same gender in a cage?<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/profile\/Mitch-Rezman-2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mitch Rezman<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, SEO\/CMO &amp; Avian Influencer @ Windy City Parrot (2003-present)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/Can-you-keep-two-canaries-of-the-same-gender-in-a-cage\/answers\/97449920\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Answered just now<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">2 Males &#8211; ABSOLUTELY NOT!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">When you place two male canaries in a single cage one will die a bloody death.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Canaries are vicious little bastards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">This is why we tell people never to put a mirror in a canaries cage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">The male Canary will guard against the other bird in the mirror and starve himself to death in order to keep the other bird from getting in the cage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">We had an employee who worked at Vahle&#8217;s canaries here in Chicago for many years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">He taught us about canaries<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">I am unable to find pictures of their store.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Vahles closed at the turn-of-the-century but here is a Canary store and as you can see every bird has its own cage<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">2 females in the same cage is OK.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">A small flock mixed-sex canaries may be OK if the cage were large enough.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Written by Mitch Rezman and the Windy City Parrot content team<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The zebra finch and canary are the most popular birds kept by pet owners, after budgies and cockatiels. They also have a long history in captivity, as does the society finch. Let\u2019s take a look at how these birds are alike and how they differ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_mo_disable_npp":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[213,262],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bird-parrot-breeding","category-canaries"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gouldian-finche-perched-on-blossoming-branch-3.jpg?resize=1076%2C445&ssl=1",1076,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gouldian-finche-perched-on-blossoming-branch-3.jpg?resize=463%2C348&ssl=1",463,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gouldian-finche-perched-on-blossoming-branch-3.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gouldian-finche-perched-on-blossoming-branch-3.jpg?fit=1076%2C1076&ssl=1",1076,1076,false]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gouldian-finche-perched-on-blossoming-branch-3.jpg?fit=1076%2C1076&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phcfkq-3gH","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/148042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}