Yorkshire Canary
Birds in Focus...
With its proud diplomatic stance, the Yorkshire Canary has invoked such names as "The Guardsman", and the "Gentleman of the Fancy" during its long history. Though It is not quite the same bird today as it was in the the mid 1800's, then being described as "so slim it could pass through a wedding ring", it is a tall slender alert bird with a proud bearing.
The Yorkshire Canary is a favorite of fanciers throughout the world. Because of Its length, being well over 6 inches, it will need to be housed in a larger cage than that of the smaller canary breeds, It will also need a larger nest and be a bit more demanding in its diet.
Research indicates that the the present day Yorkshire Canary has quite a diverse heritage. Its development dates back to the mid 1800's in England. It was first shown in 1870 in Yorkshire, thus its name. In 1894 the Yorkshire Canary Club was formed which approved the initial ideal type for this variety, but it was not until 1935 that the desired standards used today for this "type canary" were reached.
The Yorkshire was developed from crossbreeding the common canary with the Lancashire, Norwich, and Belgian canaries to add such qualities as length, improved color and feather quality, vigor and stance. The Yorkshire Canary seen today is a large canary with an attentive bold bearing, excellent feathering, and a graceful distinctive outline.
The "Gentleman of the Fancy" canaries, the Yorkshire Canary is a "type canary" bred for physical appearance rather than color or song. This is one of the largest of the canary types, reaching lengths of over 6 inches (15 cm), with the average being about 6 3/4 inches (17 cm). They are tall, slender and symmetrical; being broad across the upper body with a narrow waist and a bold alert stance.
The feathers are short, tight and silky. They can be found in colors of green, yellow, buff, cinnamon, and white.
Like all canaries, the Yorkshire Canary enjoys wide open spaces so provide a roomy cage. Do to their size, they will need an even larger cage and nest box than other canaries, Provide a cage with vertical bars and small perches of different size for foot exercise. Have at least 1 perch set high in the cage for the canary to roost (sleep). The cage should be placed high, so the canary can look down on us so to speak.
Yorkshire Canaries are a specialty bird. They are most often available through breeders, but may also occasionally be found through bird shows, bird clubs, and on the internet.
Authors: Clarice Brough, CAS and Denise Taormina
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/canaries/YorkshireCanary.php