Atlantic canary

A small passerine (family Fringillidae) native to the Macaronesian islands (Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira). Wild birds weigh ~15–20 g with streaky green-yellow-brown plumage. Domesticated since the 15th century, domestic canaries have been selectively bred into hundreds of varieties for song (Roller, Waterslager, Timbrado), color (yellow, orange, red, white, variegated), and body form (Gloster, Yorkshire, Border). The iconic yellow canary results from a mutation reducing melanin deposition. Males are renowned songsters with complex, learned vocalizations. In neuroscience, canaries were pivotal in the discovery of adult neurogenesis by Fernando Nottebohm—seasonal growth of new neurons in the song control nuclei (HVC) correlates with song learning each spring, overturning the dogma that adult brains cannot generate new neurons. They are granivorous, eating seeds, with some insects. They were historically used in coal mines as sentinel animals for carbon monoxide and methane. Females lay 3–5 eggs; incubation: 13–14 days. The genome is sequenced (2n=80). Lifespan: 10–15 years captive. IUCN (wild): Least Concern.