FINCHforum

Hello to everyone in the Forum. May I ask those who have Green or Gray singers which in their opinion has the better singing ability. I know that the Moderator Sally in one of her posts had said that she has a Gray singer and I would really like her opinion. I am in California and there are a few Green singers available for sale but I have read that the grays have a better ability. I have watched You tube videos and I cannot seem to decide which is better. I also need advice temperament wise which is the better bird. I always have separate flights for my birds so aggression may not be a considering factor. Thanks to everyone.

I have had Gray Singers (have one pair plus an extra male now), and I love their song. I had this species back in the 70's, and one reason I got them then is that I had read that their song was superior to the Green Singer. One male Gray Singer is wonderful, but when you have two males, they will sing even more trying to compete. However, you can't keep two males together, they are far too aggressive. My single male shares a cage with several males of other species with no problem, my pair have a cage to themselves. Many people overlook the Gray Singer, because their outward appearance is so plain, but they more than make up for that with song.

The only Green Singer male I have had turned out to be a hybrid cross of Green Singer x canary, and he had the most spectacular song. He got the best of both species in song, but he also got the aggressiveness times two. He was so aggressive that he killed several potential mates and wound up spending the rest of his life alone in a cage, so I would not recommend anyone trying to duplicate this hybrid. Other than that, I have no experience with the Green Singers.

Ram

Hi Ram.
I have had a pair of Green Singers in the past, and ended up rehoming them, because the male's song was just too loud for my small house (much louder than my Canary boy, and he's loud enough).

Although I've not had a Gray Singer, I have heared people say that they prefer the song of the Gray to that of the Green.

I hope Sally will chime in later today, and give you a run down
on the Grays.

Welcome to our Forum . If you love birds, than this is definitely the place for you.

~Elana~

Thank You Both! I was crestfallen when I couldn't get linnets because none were to be had anywhere and bullfinches aren't being sold either. Anything bigger like a Shama would be too much for me. It is nice to know that these greys are available.

Ram - Hi, I've had a green singer before and yes, they are loud! I would go with the grey singers as well. I was also looking for bull finches, but they are illegal in the US because there is an established population in Alaska. In Canada, though, they are available at times. A chaffinch is another bird I would consider for its wonderful song, but they also are pretty aggressive.
Good luck and let us know what you end up with.
Iso

Thank You for the inputs!!

Ok, I have to put in a vote for the green singer. I previously had one and when he passed a year ago I missed his song so much I purchased another. I have had them with zebra finches and there was no problem. I have been warned that they can be aggressive with some species especially at breeding time. His song is louder than the zebra finches, but I like it that way. I do not find mine too loud. I have a gloster canary and if they are trying to out do one another, it is not in volume. I have heard grey singers but at the time they did not seem particularly better than my greenies. And because I personally have not noticed a difference between song, I will stick with the green. If I find a grey with a nicer song, I will not pass it up however...my point, go with what your ear tells you about the birds you actually hear. I have no idea if some strains are better than others. I can not sing very well so it could just be poor hearing on my part!

Derk - Mary, I definitely agree with you there. Even though I personally prefer the grey singers, I have heard some with really nice, varied songs and then some with a song that is relatively boring (for a grey singer). So yes, if you have the chance, listen to each individual bird and pick the one you like best.
Iso

isobea - I have read some online information stating the sound of zebra finches and I am sure some other 'monotonous' bird song can negatively affect the song of canaries. If this true, I would assume the same could be said about grey and green singers, or any other song bird kept in close contact with zebs and without a lot of their own kind or other song birds. I have also read about buying CD's etc of good song birds to teach your canary.

Do you have any knowledge or first hand experience with this? Would you agree the same affect is likely to occur with grey/green singers? If it were true, where you get the bird and what it was housed near would be very important.

I am really in a quandary now- I got my heart set on buying the grey singer, emailed my brother in HK to get me an Oriental bamboo cage but I got two replies
from people who have linnets to sell. They are asking $100 a piece. One is in Massachusetts and the other is in NY. Funny thing however is when they found out that I was in Northern California they said that their birds came from here not more than a few weeks ago. So in effect if I purchase these linnets I would be torturing the birds by giving them another plane ride back to where they cam from! Amazing how one Pet Bird Supplier has cornered the market!

What to do now......

Ram - Last week I saw linnets for sale by finchzone.com (in Modesto). I wonder if that's where these east coast birds came from. I bought a linnet for my dad in the 80s and he was a pretty good singer. But again, the quality of the song might depend on who the bird learned from. Check out some of the songs on Youtube and see if you like them. In my opinion the best way would still be to listen to the actual bird you want to purchase.
Iso

Hi Isobea. I contacted finchzone by email last week. The man there said they were out of Linnets. I would prefer to get there as they were nearer and the price more reasonable but I believe they werent the ones who cornered the market.This outfit was bigger. Thanks!

Ram
Re. The Linnets. Can you not find out where they got their birds from, and go to these same people and get them. Or at least put your name down on a waiting list , for when they have chicks again?

Re. The Green or Gray Singers. I guess it all comes down to a personal choice of what you like better. I would check on google for samples of songs from both species, to see which one you find more appealing and make your decision.

Of course, one has to consider individual bird lines as well. That's when you visit a breeder and stick around to hear their birds sing.

Re. Singers mimicking Zebra song. I never had that problem with my Green, even though he was housed with Zebras.

I did however have that problem with my Canary, who was housed with Society finches, and what an awful rendition that was. The poor Socies had to plug their ears.
Once I seperated him from the Societies though and got him his own Canary brides, his song went back to normal.

Good luck with your choice.

~Elana~

Hi Elana. I did get from the two sellers the name of the Pet Bird Supplier. It was one and the same. I got in touch with the latter and they and their website say they no longer have any for sale or they are basically a wholesaler and they would not be willing to sell a pair retail to a hobbyist. That bit about the zebs is great, I shall remember that. Thanks to all for the advice. I am just "happy" that there are others as bird crazy as I am.

Ram

Yea, we're all a bit when it comes to birds.

~Elana~