The domestication and cultural significance of the canary

This chapter covers the multifaceted aspects of canary domestication and its influence in world culture. It investigates the emergence of the canary as a singing cage bird and its subsequent domestication, and gives an overview of its cultural significance and practices associated with canaries throughout history. This historical story starts in late medieval times, passes through a period during which the canary was fashionable among the nobility and in court, and then became a working-class pet bird, and reviews the history of the canary trade and competitions from local community pubs to worldwide shows. This chapter also describes the history of breeding of many different varieties and hybrids that we know today, and how the canary gained symbolic value in different realms of culture.