bird of the day: the gloster canary

the gloster canary is a small breed of fancy canary, measuring only 4 ½ inches in length, known for its distinctive crest. the gloster canary is descended from years of captive breeding, and though it was bred for appearance, has kept a beautiful song.

gloster canaries are most well known for their “beatles haircuts”. ‘corona’ gloster canaries are canaries that display this trait, and ‘consort’ canaries are gloster canaries without the crest. if two coronas are bred together, the resulting babies are likely to have deformities. breeding two consorts together will result in only consort offspring, but no health problems.

the gloster canary comes in all kinds of color mutations, except for red factor. the most common are green, yellow, and cinnamon.

gloster canaries, when bred properly, don’t suffer from health issues any more than other canary breeds, though they are more likely to have feather lumps, which is an ingrown feather. while canary care is often overlooked, the gloster’s canary should not have a barren cage, and needs mental stimulation in the form of interaction and toys.

gloster’s canaries are funky little dudes with cheerful personalities and amazing style. these little guys are a delight, and while they are sometimes overlooked for more ‘showy’ birds, they have a lot to offer!

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