Aria From A Bird Cage

American Singer Canaries 

  According to Webster Dictionary:     a-ri-a. (ä΄rēַə), noun,  1. an elaborate melody sung by a single voice    2. a striking solo performance  [Italian, from Latin ǎera, literally means air]

The American Singer canary is a Song Type Canary developed in the United States.

By using a systematic plan of blending the Roller canary to the Border Fancy canary (canaries with different and distinct songs) over a period of years, a canary was produced that has an outstanding free harmonious song, pleasing to the ear, neither too harsh, with plenty of variety and a beautiful shape and size with tight feather that will please the average home lover of canaries.

American Singers come in many colors, from the commonly recognized yellow color that everyone associates with canaries, to beautiful variegated birds showing patterns of color, with no two alike. 

The American Singers Club was founded in 1934 in Milton, Mass. by a group of eight women breeders.  The first birds were exhibited in the Boston Show of that year.  The name American Singer was adopted by vote of the members after this first show.

This breed has been standardized and is the only AMERICAN bred Canary known as the American Singer Border-Roller Type Songster.  Many have called their birds American Singers, but only those birds bred by the plan of the American Singer Club are genuine.

Membership in the American Singers Club is limited to breeders, owners of canaries bred for the home and also those interested in American Singer Canaries.  Every member must abide by the club's Constitution and Bylaws, breed to the accepted model and method of breeding, endeavor to improve the song, and promote the advancement of the American Singers Club by creating good will and friendship among members and bird breeders.

All American Singer birds must be banded with American Singer closed leg bands numbered in series with the year of hatching.

The band is engraved with the initials "ASC", which stands for American Singers Club.  The year the bird was hatched and the bird's individual registration number is also engraved on the band.

Each year, a different color of band is used by the American Singers Club, which also helps to quickly identify a bird's year of hatching without having to catch the bird to look at the engraving.

Notice the tiny silver band.

The bands are not only for the breeder's protection but serve as additional proof that the birds are as represented, bred by the plan and are indeed American Singers. 

The band is slipped over the foot and onto the leg of baby bird, usually when they are about seven days old.  The band cannot be put on mature birds because their foot is too large to go through the tiny opening in the band.

For those interested in showing their birds in competitions, American Singers are judged for song with freedom first, then type or conformation, then condition.  The color of the bird comes under conformation but does not score in the total 20 points. 

It is important to train the birds so they will appear their best before the Judges.  American Singers must be trained to stage well plus be trained to sing as soon as their cages are uncovered. 

This means we must have a training system that will dispel fear so our American Singer will stage correctly, and sing within ten minutes after they are moved from the show bench to the judging room. 

For more information about the American Singers Club, visit their website at www.upatsix.com