How to distinguish a kenar from a canary?

Among pets, far from the last place is occupied by representatives of birds, including canaries. The latter are loved for their bright color (even if they are monochrome) and beautiful singing. But if you choose a canary only for the purpose of enjoying its amazing singing, you need to know the fact that only males sing beautifully. Therefore, it is necessary to learn to determine the gender of a bird. In addition, it will come in handy for choosing a pair for an already existing lonely singer who cannot live without a female for a long time - longing is overwhelming.

It should immediately be noted that it is not possible to distinguish a male from a female inexperienced poultry breeder. Especially in cases where he does not know any signs that directly or indirectly indicate that an individual belongs to a particular sex. Sometimes experienced canary farmers argue among themselves about the gender of some individual birds, getting confused about the available signs.

You can distinguish a kenar from a canary in the following ways:

• visually by external signs;
• twittering and singing;
• by behavioral factors.

In addition, there are several signs that breeders use. However, for beginners, they are either not suitable, since there is nothing to compare with (they first buy a bird), or are relevant only under certain conditions. Therefore, we restrict ourselves to simple information about them. Experienced poultry farmers in their determination of the sex of canaries are guided by the following methods:

• in appearance of eggs laid for landing of chicks;
• according to the position of the eyes relative to the line of the closed beak;
• by the behavior of the chicks when touching their beak or tummy.

I must say that these professional methods for determining the sex of canaries are sometimes not 100% accurate, therefore, they cannot serve as criteria for choosing a bird of the right sex.

The following differences are highlighted here.

• The form of cesspools. In Kenars, the cesspool is more elongated and convex, resembles a cylinder ending with several feathers. In females, it is flat and covered with down. This difference is especially noticeable in the reproductive age of the bird. To examine the genitals, the bird is carefully taken with the hand so that it is upside down (just do not need to squeeze the bird in the palm of your hand). And then they blow to the area below the abdomen, inflating feathers and discovering in this way a cesspool.
• Tail length. This method works only in comparison of two heterosexual individuals of the same age. In Kenars, the tail is longer (about 0.5 cm). Of course, such a method is not suitable for choosing birds in a pet store or in the bird market - it is hardly possible to find reliable information about the age of the compared individuals there. About gender can also be deceived. There is a high probability that in front of the buyer a kenar, if you hold the bird with your finger along the abdomen in the "on the back" position and it will begin to actively pull its paws. Females usually draw them.
• Tail position. If you hold the bird in the palm of your hand, placed horizontally, with the tail part outward, then the position of the tail will be significantly higher for the female than for the male.
• The shape of the chest and abdomen. A close examination of the abdomen of the bird reveals that the female has a larger thoracic part, while the kenar has a greater part of the abdomen. But such a difference can only be seen in the comparison of two heterosexual individuals.
• The shape of the top of the head. Kenari have a more rounded and even head shape with a developed forehead, and in girls it is flat with a barely noticeable frontal part. Again, such a sign is useless for those buyers who are little versed in canaries.
• Color. Typically, when comparing two birds of the same age of different sexes and of the same species, more intense colors in the Kenars in separate parts of the plumage can be noted.

On this basis, it is impossible to identify young individuals, since their singing abilities are not always manifested in the early period of life. They begin to sing fully at 8–9 months of age. But the fact is known that only male birds sing beautifully, and girls mostly make sounds similar to jerky bird twitter. Of course, there are cases when females sang no worse than males, but this applies to exceptions.

The sounds and singing that females make are very different from the sounds of males. The Kenars have longer singing, and the “vocabulary” is much wider and is constantly expanding over time. Females make a short squeak or a short whistle, and if they sing, then it resembles, rather, not singing, but a quiet coo.

Besides, all the sounds of females have a volume much weaker than the sounds and singing of Kenars. The males sing selflessly, long and loudly, and the abundance of their sounds seems endless. There is no such variety in the sounds of canaries.

At the same time, beginners should be cautioned that males are usually silent during molting, and if they try to make any sounds, they can easily be confused with the sounds of females. Sometimes the same can be observed during nesting.

As for the behavior of canaries, the vast majority of breeders note a factor of greater male activity. In this regard, you should follow the selected bird for some time. but during nesting, on the contrary, the female is more active in the process of nest constructionalthough both birds - male and female - take part in this. Finally, do not talk about egg laying - the male is not a member here.

When singing or making any sounds, the kenar inflates the goiter, which is not typical for canaries.

And in all the birds, the boys are brighter, more mischievous than the girls. The external sex determination factor, when a finger is drawn across the abdomen of a bird and according to its response to this action, also confirms the activity of the male, and not the humility of the female.

Find answers to common questions about the content of canaries below.