Atlantic Canary

• fisiologíaThe males learn new song phrases each breeding season, and their brains grow fresh neurons for vocal learning every year, which is unusual in an adult vertebrate.
• historia naturalIt was domesticated from a wild species of the Canary Islands, and the colour canary yellow is named after the bird, not the other way round.
• It is the natural symbol of the Canary Islands, along with the Canary Island date palm.
• Its name comes not from the colour yellow but from the islands, and they in turn from the Latin canis, dog, after the large dogs that according to Pliny lived there.
• The domestic form is recognised as a subspecies in its own right, Serinus canaria domestica, distinct from the wild Canarian bird.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat & environment

Endemic to Macaronesia: the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira, where it occupies varied settings from sea level to the mountains

Gestation / incubation

13-14 days of incubation, by the female alone

Litter / clutch size

3-4 eggs, occasionally 5, with 2-3 clutches a year

Lifespan in captivity

Up to 24 years in captivity

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; Wikipedia (Atlantic canary); Birding Canarias; Linnaeus 1758

Best time: All year round in the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira