Our earliest written description of the Canary and its origins comes from Gesner in his "Historia Animalium" Book III., (published in A.D.1555). who wrote:  "Similar
to this is, as I hear, the bird of sweetest song, called the Canary,
which
is brought from the Canary Islands, productive of sugar. It is sold
everywhere very dear, both for the sweetness of its singing, and also
because
it is brought from far places with great care and diligence, and but
rarely,
so that it is wont to be kept only by nobles and great men.
These are the Canary Islands, out of which in our age
are brought certain singing birds, which from the place they are bred,
they commonly call Canary birds; others call them 'Sugar birds',
because
the best sugar is brought thence." It is clear that before 1550A.D. Canaries were imported into England and Europe. The final conquest of the Canary Islands by Spain took from 1483 -1495 A.D. so little time was lost in bringing the first Canaries to Spain and thence to all of Europe. Thus the canary was domesticated and bred in Europe from around 1500A.D. What is truly marvellous, is that all the present breeds and varieties of canary, in all their profusion of colour, shape and song, are descended from this single, drab green ancestor. Serinus Canaria is itself a sub-species of Serinus Serinus -the common serin finch. |
