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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Sep 10 2008, 9:59 PM EDT (current) | mrdight | 13 words added |
| Aug 7 2008, 2:23 PM EDT | mrdight | 4 words added |
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Welcome to
ARBOLEDA AVIARY
A small stud of American Singer Canaries founded in 2007 and based in Harrisonburg, central to the
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.
To take a look at my bird-room Click Here
I will also be updating my website from time to time, giving details of my progress. You might want to come visit again:
Please e/mail me with any questions or comments on my site . arboleda980@comcast.net
Update - August 08
About the American Singer
Originally developed by a group of women in the Boston area in the mid 1930’s, it was their desire to breed the perfect pet canary for American homes, and provide a standard for competition. This active and bright canary owes it’s origins to a blend of Roller and Border Canaries. Indeed, following a prescribed breeding format it is still possible to create your own American Singers by line breeding. By following ‘The Plan’, after 4 generations your birds should compose of approximately 70% Roller, and 30% Border genetics. In truth, the Borders of today probably bear little resemblance to those of 80 years ago. A modern Fife would be more approximate.
Most breeders today will obtain an initial stock of well established pedigree American Singers. There is a governing body. The American Singers Club Inc first formed in 1934 and incorporated in 1942. This club has sole responsibility for issuing leg bands and overseeing the local “Chapters”, individual clubs scattered throughout the USA.
The American Singer Club has defined the standard for these birds:
“ Primarily, the American Singer Canary is bred for song, but should be attractive also and in competition, there are points awarded for condition and conformation as well as for freedom of song and rendition. The ideal bird should have a free and harmonious song, which is pleasing to the ear, neither too loud nor too harsh, with a good variety of notes. During song competition, an individual bird can earn up to 10 points for Freedom of Song, up to 60 points for Rendition of Song, up to 20 points for Conformation of Body and up to 10 points for Overall Condition for a maximum of 100 points.”
Unlike Roller or Waterslager Canaries, the American Singers do not have a prescribed vocabulary of tours or song passages they are required to sing. Variety of song is highly prized, but birds with harsh or grating chops will be penalized. The song should not be too loud or monotonous. Generally the song is louder than that of a typical contest Roller, but certainly soft and melodious song is rewarded. American Singers are available in colours including yellow, white and cinnamon, and may be variegated. There is no requirement for colour feeding and there are no crested American Singers.
The show cage was developed from the old fashioned ‘Shelf cages’ common in pet shops. The cages are 11 inches wide, 7 inches deep, 10 inches high. The right side is solid metal, the top and other sides are wire. Birds compete individually against each other in classes of eight or nine. Each class is judged for 20 minutes. There is no final ‘Sing off’ to determine best in show. Points are allocated to each bird during it’s class and overall winners are determined from their single performance. During the first ten minutes in particular judges are assessing how freely the birds sing.
American Singers in general are considered free breeders and relatively easy to keep. Supplementary, artificial lighting patterns are common. By manipulating light and diet, most fanciers will be aiming to get their first nests hatching in January when the current year leg band are first released. Many breeders use all wire breeding cages, similar to cages commonly used in continental Europe. A lot of breeders choose to follow their own recipes for egg food or will supplement a propriety brand with additional hard boiled egg.
Interest in the breed remains strong, with particularly competitive areas, in the Cleveland and Michigan areas as well as the North East, where, during the Autumn, it is possible to travel to a different show every weekend from Baltimore, Maryland up through to New York. A typical chapter show may have 120 to 150 birds entered and the entire competition may last 8 hours or more for the judge to assess all the classes.
You Can learn about American Singer Canaries by visiting the American Singer Club Inc. Website here
