But the story of how the humble canary forever changed our notions of how the brain works is surely one of the strangest happenings of all. It was first made public in an article called "The Brain Reborn - Rediscovering the Brain", which was published in "Discovery" magazine in June 1990, written by Geoffrey Montgomery.

This astounding article details how researchers, originally investigating genetically-transmitted song characteristics in canaries, accidentally made the astounding discovery that as well as feathers, canaries grow new brain cells every year! During their annual moult, more than just their feathers are being renewed.

When the moult is over, their newly-reborn song will show new elements reflecting the influence of the sounds they have been listening to during this process of renewal and growth. So, if you would like your canary to sing a song you will approve of once his moult is done, it helps to play him lots of the sort of music you prefer while he is undergoing this annual process of renewal.

Our next issue is due Sept 30th - until then, we wish you and your birds enjoy all the best of everything!

Robirda
September 16, 2001
Vancouver, BC

Welcome to the Companion Birds eZine

For bird people who care.

Hello!   Welcome to the 28th issue of Flock Talk!

Please take a moment to pray for those who suffered or died in Tuesday's terrible attacks. If you'd like to help, a donation to the Red Cross is a really good place to start.

Send any ideas, tips, tricks, stories, or comments here. Thanks for reading Flock Talk!

Feature Article

It was in Europe, and especially in the Netherlands, where by the 1600's the first 'Type' canaries were developed. In Germany and Spain breeders were more interested in the development of the song canary. It wasn't long before this work produced the Roller canary in Germany, and in Spain, the canary known as the 'Canary Of The Country'...

by Eduardo A. Hurtado Yanez, D.V.M., M.S.
Copyright © 2001. All rights reserved.

The old line known for so long only as the 'Canary of the Country' is today known as the 'Spanish Timbrado'. The work of the Spanish fanciers in the development of this breed was based only on the improvement of its song, without the use of crossings with other song birds, whether other breeds or other species.

Instead, these breeders took advantage of the great capacity canaries have to copy the songs of other birds. The songs considered the most desirable were diligently introduced and fixed to the repertoire of the breed through strict selection. The best birds who reached the highest singing ability in these old 'Canaries of the Country' were called the 'Canaries of Vich'.

The 'Canary of the Country' enjoyed great acceptance among the fanciers in Spain of course, being described by Don Antonio Drove Aza as those canaries "whose commendable song was appreciated outside our borders for not emitting disagreeable notes, but instead, a multitude of well-vocalized and well-modulated variations, in a contrasted repertoire of diverse tonalities, in which they expressed complete verses of the song of the Nightingale, emitted with discreet sonority and delicate tones of voice."

The Spanish Song Canary, also known as the Spanish Timbrado, or simply the Timbrado, is closest of all breeds to the wild canary in its physical appearance. The limited changes that have taken place have been mostly related to the production of the young in captivity. Therefore we are met with a canary of stronger appearance, a little larger size (14 to 15 cm), a wider head and broader chest, medium tail, short legs and smooth, tight plumage.

Nowadays, it is not possible to be able to describe in a classic form a conformation type for the Timbrado canary, due to the style of song having exclusively prevailed as the only considered factor when selecting breeding stock. Because of this you will find a general unification of the morphologic type. In principle, all colours are accepted, however, I feel it is important to stress here the fact that the pure bloodlines of the Timbrado do not include the Red Factor.

The classic colors of the Timbrado are: green, dark brown, yellow, slate gray, (sometimes called 'blue'), various variegates, which usually consist of some combination of green and yellow, and other combinations of the basic colors (dark brown and yellow, white and gray, etc.). Colour forms different from these mean a discerning fancier will suspect a probable outcrossing with colour canaries.

The different classic colours defined for the Spanish Timbrado song canary are products of spontaneous mutations which arose through evolution rather than as as products of crossings with other species or breeds, as has often been the case in the development of other song breeds.

It is not easy to describe, much less to try to explain to the new fancier, what characterizes the Spanish Timbrado song canary. In large part the difficulty rests on the ignorance at the world-wide level of this breed, because it is not frequently seen in many countries of the world. Too often advantage is taken of this rarity by calling any green or variegated (green and yellow) canary a Timbrado, especially by those eager to sell their birds at the better prices a rare breed can command.

Similarly to type and colour canaries, in their own ways, song canaries have been cultivated by humankind over the centuries for a predilection in the purity of the delivery of the different notes that compose the song. Each must sing notes of the best possible musical quality (based on rate, harmony and melody), within each tone, songs marked for their intensity and which leave pleasure in the ears of its hearers.

The song of the Spanish Timbrado is defined as metallic, bright and cheery, with a great richness in the variety of its repertoire. This is expressed in diverse tone or vocal qualities without reaching stridency, modulated by opening and closing the beak. The song of the Timbrado is rich in clear, high notes, sounds of metallic timbre, in addition to hollow, low and watery tones. The contrasting notes in between give it a distinct vigor, and vary the delivery of the song with different rhythms. This makes a cheerful, resounding song of fast, rhythmical combinations.

The Spanish Timbrado song canary is a breed that has recovered from innumerable difficulties, even being on the verge of disappearing at the beginning of the last century. Most of this was due to crossings conducted with frilled canaries taken to Spain from France and Holland. Also, the popularity of Roller canaries at that time, motivated some to outcross these to the few pure Timbrado specimens left to the breed. Finally, there was the disastrous consequences of the Spanish Civil War in 1936; all these circumstances caused substantial decrease among the breeders of the genuine Spanish Song canaries.

It wasn't until the Forties when a solid group of canary keepers of Madrid, who belonged to the A.C.E. (Asociación de Canaricultores Español) committed themselves to rescuing the old breed of Spanish Song canaries. In the year 1950 this group of commendable breeders gave the breed the new name of Spanish Timbrado.

As part of their mission, this group of fanciers, in search of guaranteeing and preserving the basic structure of the song of the canaries and preventing future deviations, decided to codify the song of their canaries. This was based on a conscientious study using as reference the song code of the Roller canaries made by Dr. Wolf de Malkamer. In 1953 they developed the first 'Song Code of the Spanish Timbrado' and the first 'Score Sheet' was born. It was put into use that very same year.

After a failed attempt to have this canary recognized as a separate breed in 1956, the Spanish Timbrado Song Canary was unanimously recognized as a breed by the Confederación Ornitológica Mundial (C.O.M.), on February 3, 1962 during the celebrated General Convention in Brussels. This triumph represented the first great honor of Spanish canary keeping. With noticeable satisfaction and taking great care, we continue to raise this breed of 'Tenors' of song in its purest expression.

The article above is an excerpt from the soon-to-be-published book "The Spanish Timbrado Song Canary, A Concise Guide" by Eduardo A. Hurtado, D.V.M., M.S. The book, originally written in Spanish, was translated to English by Mrs. Pamela Cale and edited by R C 'Robirda' McDonald. Included with the book is a CD containing sample recordings of the different tours made famous by the Spanish Timbrado.

Each tour is explained (in Spanish and English) in great detail, to aid in learning to understand this canary's complex song. This CD does not just focus on the desirable songs - in keeping with the thorough coverage which characterizes the entire book, samples and explanations are also given of song faults, as stipulated in the Spanish Timbrado Song Code.

article by Eduardo A. Hurtado Yanez, D.V.M., M.S.
Copyright © September 2001. All rights reserved.

Website News

"How do you tell when you have found a good canary breeder?"

My answer;

"Here's some of what I look for when visiting a canary breeder.

"Will he allow you to see the kind of set-up he has? Even if you are not allowed too close to some areas, he should be willing to allow you to give the premises a quick look-see. If not, he could have something to hide - and I would not buy a bird there.

"Are his birds bright-eyed, tight-feathered, healthy and active, with clean vents, and bright colours? Or are the birds dull, scraggly-looking, and lethargic? If I see the latter, I don't buy.

"What kind of condition are the cages and general premises in? All birds can be rather messy, but this is quite different from just plain dirty - it should be obvious that the premises are cleaned throughly on a regular basis.

"Is he interested in what kind of home you will provide for his youngster, or does he just want you to buy and scram? I find good breeders care quite passionately that their youngsters will be properly cared for.

"Less often seen, but a habit which earns a big plus mark in my estimation - is there toys for the birds to play with? Canaries are quite intelligent for their size - stimulation which encourages play is a healthy part of their environment, and helps encourage proper development.

"Most will manage to play even without toys, with whatever they have - paper, seed, greens, water... but if there's safe toys around, you know the breeder cares about his birds' state of mind, as well as their beauty and song.

"Do the birds have greens and/or vegetables as well as seed and water? This also earns the breeder a big plus in my mind, as feeding greens takes a little more trouble and time than just tossing some seed in a cup.

"These are just general guidelines, and of course there are different variables in any given situation. But if these basics are met, you can know that you have found a canary breeder who should have strong, healthy birds.

"Good luck, eh? I hope this helps!"