Red factor canary

The red factor canary is a popular variety of domesticated canary, named after its colorful plumage. It is kept by those who want a pet, as well as those who enjoy showing.

Description
The red factor canary is a variety of domestic canary. It is a color canary, named after its red-colored plumage. A well-built bird, the red factor canary is about 5+1/2 in in length. The variety is bred for the novelty of its color, rather than for its song. Red factor canaries are kept by those who want a pet, as well as those who enjoy showing.

It is an active bird, hardy and very easy to keep; however, it is not easy to breed. First bred in the 1920s, it is the only color canary that has an element of red as part of its plumage. It was developed as a cross between another type of finch—the now-endangered Venezuelan red siskin (Spinus cucullatus)—and a yellow domestic canary (Serinus canaria forma domestica).

Availability
As these canaries are bred for showing, there are many versions of this canary exist today. They are divided into the melanin and the lipochrome classes. These are further divided into frosts (soft feather) or non-frosts (hard feather), which affects how bright their color appears. Red factor canaries are usually available at most pet stores, and can also be found through bird shows, bird clubs, breeders, and on the Internet.