The volume and force of their seemingly effortless song gives the impression of happiness, but also creates a mystery of how a body weighing less than one ounce and a voice box no larger than a small green pea can produce such intense sounds.

A miracle of nature's engineering-

• One bird can sing a two part vocal duet simultaneously

• Song continues without pause for minutes at a time while the bird inhales and exhales

• Through a system of vibrating membranes, air sacs used as resonance chambers, and lengthy windpipes for amplification, a bird houses a veritable musical instrument

Songbirds only sing when they are in good health!

Nature seems to tell canaries not to announce their presence if their health is less than perfect. In other words, "don't open your mouth" when you're sick or in a weakened condition. Survival in the wild often depends on the predator NOT knowing the location of the bird. In addition, the absence of song in the male canary stops courtship and mating, insuring only the fittest birds reproduce.

When male canaries don't sing they are either molting or have a health problem.

Canaries normally sing year-round except during the molting period and a short time thereafter.

Molt usually lasts three (3) months from the dropping of the first feather until the last feather has completed growth. Song stops because of the physical and nutritional stress from growing up to 2,000 new feathers.

Canaries actually announce problems to their owners by being quiet.

When this happens, see your veterinarian.

In captivity, the most common abnormality to affect singing in male canaries is nutritional deficiencies.

As with any other animal, canaries require balanced diets, but the seed diets traditionally offered to canaries are lacking in vitamins, minerals and proteins. Further, neither canaries or other birds living in the artificial confines of captivity have the instinct or ability to pick out a balanced diet from an assortment of seeds, minerals, vitamins and supplements placed in the cage.

It is common for canaries in homes to sing well for 2-3 years and then to have a prolonged molt and never return to full song.

If a veterinary examination reveals no other abnormality, these canaries can be placed on Lafeber's Canary Food and do splendidly. The recovery stage may take nine to twelve months depending upon the depth of the nutritional problems and the extent of tissue damage from the deficiencies.

A positive recovery sign is the re-establishment of molting. As the bird's health improves, old feathers will be replaced with new ones and song will start again. In many instances, the bird's body may recycle into another complete molt. This molt will be much more vigorous as all body systems are now in peak condition. When this molt is completed, song will start. If the canaries remain healthy, they will continue their "joy of song" for many years.

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