Fife Fancy Canary
Birds in Focus...
Despite its small size, the Fife Fancy Canary is very lively and a great choice for the beginner. This delightful little bird is quite hardy and very easy to keep.They are not prone to disease, come in all the canary colors, and the male has a wonderful pleasant song. They are also ready breeders and most often good at rearing their young.
The Fife Fancy Canary is a "type canary", bred for physical characteristics rather than color or song. They are a newer canary variety, developed in the 1950's by Scottish breeders in and around the area of Fife. It is a smaller version of the Border Canary. With the emphasis on developing the Border into a larger bird, dedicated Scots devoted their efforts to bringing back the original standard of the Border. Thus the Fife Fancy Canary came into being, capturing the hearts of people around the world.
Being one of the more recently developed "type" canaries, the Fife Fancy Canary has a well l documented history. It was developed in the 1950's in and around the county of Fife in Scotland. It is a smaller version of todays Border Canary, which has been developed into a larger bird reaching about 5 1/2 inches (14 cm). The development of the Fife was the result of efforts to bring back the Borders original smaller standard, a bird whose length is 4 1/2 inches (11.4 cm). In 1957 a meeting in Kircaldy, Scotland was called and a new society was formed specializing in this smaller bird. The Fife Fancy Canary was officially accepted and is enthusiatically supported.
Many fanciers regard the Fife Fancy Canary as a miniature of the Border Canary. Indeed, except for its size, which must not exceed 4 1/4 inches, that means about 11 cm, the two breeds are extremely similar. The grand essentials of a Fife Fancy Canary are controlled roundness, combined with type, quality and natural color in a diminutive form.
These birds are available in a wide variety of colors including white, yellow, buff, blue, cinnamon, green, and many variegations of these colors
Care and feeding:
The Fife Fancy Canary is a ready breeder making it a good choice for a beginner. The Fife Fancy Canary is generally good at rearing its young.
Fife Fancy Canaries are fairly available and inexpensive, similar to the Border Canary. Sometimes available at pet stores, but more readily they can be found through bird shows, bird clubs, breeders, and on the internet.
Authors: Denise Taormina and Clarice Brough, CAS.
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/canaries/FifeCanary.php