Green Singing Finch as an alternative to a pet canary?

[GlennO]

Hello, I love canaries and finches and I purchased a cage that was intended to house an indoor pet canary. However after quite alot of internet browsing I have discovered that I prefer the song of the green singing finch (Serinus mozambicus).

I'd like to know if I can keep a single male gsf in the same way that a single male canary can be kept. The cage is bigger than the typical canary cage sold in pet stores, but I'm unable to find info on if it is ok to do this. This is a link to the cage:

http://ca-en.hagen.com/Bird/Housing/Hybrid-Cages/83300

I know these guys are a close relative of the canary, but can they be housed in the same manner?

Thanks for any opinions.

Glenn

[lovezebs]

GlennO
In my opinion, your cage should be 'adequate' for one bird, although bigger is always better when it comes to cages. Finches love to fly from side to side, and need to be able to do so to remain happy and healthy. A bigger cage, means a happier healthier bird.

Also, I would recommend getting a pair (m/f). One single finch is usually a very lonely finch. My pair spend quite a bit of time together, enjoy each others company, and my boy sings up a storm. They are housed in a large flight, with Zebra finches and do very well.

To breed them though, I do place them in a seperate cage, with a nest.

*One note of caution though: Do not put two males together!

~Elana~

[Sally]

I agree with Elana, finches usually don't do well by themselves. I would keep either a pair of Green Singers, or a male of another species. Green Singers are considered pushy, so not quite as easy to find a compatible companion. Here is a chart of the various species. You definitely would not want a GS male or another yellow bird. That cage size will work for a pair--many in the U.S. use 30x18x18 cages, which are a similar size to that one.

http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... /index.php

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at http://www.finchinfo.com, where you will find articles on housing, diet, and the Green Singing finch.

[isobea]

GlennO - I think Elana is right: the cage should be big enough. I personally only had one pair over 25 years ago for maybe 6 months. I also had them in a cage that should have been adequate but they were very flighty and never settled down. Eventually I sold them to somebody who had an aviary (at that time I didn't). If you want to go ahead with your plan, I would suggest covering the back and both sides of the cage with something like evergreen branches to make him/them feel more secure. Attach the branches to the outside of the cage so you don't loose any space inside. Also, place the cage as high as possible. They are a lot like European goldfinches and different siskins who don't want to be close to the ground. Another word of caution since your bird(s) would be indoors: they are very loud singers. With a canary you can choose between many different breeds, giving you an option of clearly different songs, size, and how loud they are (color-bred canaries are usually pretty loud, too). I think Fife canaries are cute little guys (if you can find a breeder) and usually they aren't as loud.
Let us know what you decide to do. Good luck,
Iso

[GlennO]

Thank you for the great replies. The comment that they can be flighty makes me wonder if they might be better suited to a larger cage or aviary. Also the comment regarding volume is interesting. I didn't realise that they were loud. I had a red factor canary inside for a while, and although I loved his song from a distance, I found him too loud in the house. He made my ears ring.

I thought the green singer would be softer. Also, I like the 'wild type' song of goldfinches, greenfinches and the like which is why I started considering other options before looking at other canary types. I wonder if a canary x goldfinch mule might be a good option? I'd be happy to consider any other suggestions too.

Thanks for your help.

[lovezebs]

GlennO

My Green Singer's song, is louder than my Red Factor Canary.

If you're looking for a softer song, the German Roller Canary is much softer.

~Elana~

[Atbird]

It would be good to listen to the bird, my red black canary has a very pleasant song that is not too loud, but I keep him with his female so that tends to make them sing less and not as frantic, perfect for keeping him in my living room. (Maybe a pair of canaries is an option ;) )Belgian Waterslagers have a very soft sound, but I don't think they sound like wild birds. European goldfinches are not too loud, at least not the one I encountered, although they are flighty.

[Hilary]

I haven't seen them here for awhile, but grey singers are very similar to the green but I think have a softer (less piercing) song.

I agree with the others that green singers do well in pairs - mine are always perched together.

[GlennO]

More helpful comments, thank you. Except, I’m now more conflicted than ever. To summarise my current thoughts:

Green Singer - nice calls and song but possibly too loud.
German Roller or other song-bred canary - volume ok but a muted canary song is not really my preferred song type.
Goldfinch or mule – Love the song. Volume seems to be ok. Not sure about its suitability for an indoor cage.

I’ve also read that the Strawberry Finch has a nice song, and they are available here. So there’s perhaps another one to complicate things further.

I will take the advice regarding pairs, unless I decide on a canary. Unfortunately Grey Singers are not available here, or very rarely since there are only a few breeders in the country. The last price I saw was around $1,500 for a pair.

[Sheather]

My American Singer canary has a *beautiful* bubbly song, it fills a room but is in no way overwhelming.

[isobea]

GlennO - if you are considering hybrids: over the years, I've seen many European goldfinch/canary hybrids in Germany. They were great singers and very pretty, too. But even with these birds it would be best to listen to each bird's song (if there are several for sale) for quite a while. A lot depends on what you personally like and what kind of song you are looking for. It really varies from one bird to the next. Hilary mentioned a grey singer as another option for you. I've been looking into them for about the last three weeks. Listened to all the grey singers I could find on Youtube and found the song of some of them very pleasing but one or two were too repetitive in my opinion. I hope this helps,
Iso

[GlennO]

My American Singer canary has a *beautiful* bubbly song, it fills a room but is in no way overwhelming.

He sounds lovely. I don't think they are available in Australia, or at least I've never seen them.

I'd have to say that the song that really makes me smile inside is that of the goldfinch. It's probably influenced by childhood memories. There was a large vacant lot near my house where I used to play, and I used to watch small flocks of goldfinches feeding on thistles there. I also used to hear them and see them nesting in trees near my favourite fishing hole. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what triggered my early love for finches, and it may even have something to do with this current search now that I think about it. Maybe I'm trying to recapture my childhood.

[solo_birdlover]

Green Singers can be loud (I just bought a female that's even louder than the male) but their song is better than that of Grey Singers' IMO. My GS sings in two tones - loud when he's active and feeling energetic, and low when he's relaxed (sitting still almost sleepy). I find the low tone very relaxing and pleasing to listen to. Unfortunately, my GS is hyperactive most of the time and most of the time he is loud but it doesn't bother me. My GS stops singing if I put the female in the same cage with him or even if he can see her in the other cage. So, chances are if you get one and put a female with him he won't sing much if at all. But if you don't get him a female at least have other finches around him. They definitely like some company even if it's not the same species. My GS when he was alone in his cage used to love hanging around the other cage that had a couple of Cordons. He'd come out of his cage and go sit on top of the other cage. I never saw any aggressiveness from my male GS towards any of the other finches I had over the years. In fact, he's easily scared by other finches I put with him and won't even sit or eat anywhere near them.

I'd take a GS over a Canary any time. A canary's song is almost boring. GS's sound more like wild birds' songs. But on top of that they're fun to watch -they're acrobatic birds that sometimes hang upside down- and they have very inquisitive nature. I also find my male GS to be more intelligent than other finches I've had. He also makes these funny sounds when he's flitting around the cage or when he hears some sounds on tv .... There isn't really a day that goes by that he doesn't make me laugh. I really think GSs are kind of unique.
If you can find a European Gold finch I think you'd be very pleased with their song. I think they have some of the most beautiful songs too. I hear Strawberries have a nice song but the male I had long time ago never really sang much and when he did it was kind of too short and quiet. Maybe he was old or something.

[isobea]

GlennO - I also love the song of the European goldfinches. I kept and raised them for about 25 years. The only reason I don't have any now is that the mosquitoes we have here transmit a virus similar to canary pox and that wiped out all my goldfinches and siskins. BTW, if you can find American goldfinches (we can't keep them in captivity here because they are native birds, but we enjoy the wild ones in our yard), you might like them, too. IMO their song is very similar to that of the Europ. goldfinch.
Iso

[GlennO]

Hi Isobea

I don't think American Goldfinches are available here. I had never heard of them but in pics they look like beautiful birds. It's a shame that you can't keep captive bred ones. We are allowed to keep captive bred native Australian finches here, although many require a licence.

Do you think a male Euro Goldfinch and Green Singer could be kept in a cage together?

If I was to buy a pair rather than a single bird I would add an extension to my cage. It only adds extra height but I think it would be better for 2 birds. This is the 'extended' cage:

http://ca-en.hagen.com/Bird/Housing/Hybrid-Cages/83305