Bird Serinus canaria of the finch family Fringillidae, found wild in the Canary Islands and Madeira. In its wild state the plumage is green, sometimes streaked with brown. The wild canary builds its nest of moss, feathers, and hair in thick high shrubs or trees, and produces two to four broods in a season.

Canaries have been bred as cage birds in Europe since the 15th century, and many domestic varieties are yellow or orange as a result of artificial selection.

Some canaries were used in mines as detectors of traces of poison gas in the air.

The chief varieties of the domesticated canary are the Norwich, which is the hardiest, and very rich in colour; the Belgian fancy, the most beautiful and costly; the lizard, so-called from its spotted back; the cinnamon, so named from its colour; the Yorkshire, a long, thin, closely-feathered bird; the Lancashire coppy, the largest variety, with a crest of feathers on its head; the London fancy, a little yellow or biscuit-coloured bird with black wings and tail; the Scotch fancy, a large imposing variety, bred largely in Scotland; and the roller canary, a very small bird, bred chiefly for its unusually beautiful song.