Canary (Serinus canarius)

Canaries are charming pets that don't require much interaction with their owners. Canaries are often kept in pairs. While many people think of the sweetly singing yellow canary as the typical one, it is by no means the sole representative. One thing to remember is that canaries do need grit added to their diet, since they can't digest their seed otherwise. Canaries are divided into three groups: color, type and song. Type canaries often sing and song canaries are quite pretty, it's just a matter of what dominant trait was the bird bred for.

Color canaries include New color and red factors. Some red factors are fed a food additive called canthaxanthin that helps keep the red vibrant.

Type canaries are bred to have a certain "look." Common ones include the Gloster, with its Beatles-style haircut; the elongated Belgian fancy; and the frilly look of the appropriately named frills, which include Parisians, Padovans and the Gibber Italicus.

Song canaries include rollers, waterslagers and American singers. Some song canaries sing as part of a group, while others sing individually.