Crested

The Crested Canary


CRESTED NORWICH CANARIES (1880s) Even-marked crested yellow Grey Crested Buff Even-marked crested buff	CRESTED NORWICH CANARIES (1880s) Dark Crested Buff Variegated Crested Yellow Variegated Crested Buff

W.E. Brooks, writing in 1948, recalled that around the turn of the century the Crested Canary was so popular that classes of thirty birds were common at the larger shows. He wrote:

"At the end of the last century Crests were established in all the towns of England, from Plymouth in the south, to Newcastle in the North, with the city of Nottingham as a real 'hotbed' of the variety"

In its heyday, the aim of all breeders was to produce either clear-bodied yellows with dark crests, or evenly wing-marked birds with dark crests.

The craze for perfection grew until rich men were prepared to pay almost any sum for a winning strain of birds, and within a few years the best birds were concentrated in the hands of just a few exhibitors. The result was that the ordinary working man was gradually bought out of competition and abandoned the variety. Brooks also says:

"Another reason for the decline was the craze for size and denseness of feather, which resulted in breeders double-buffing. This they did to a larger extent than was good for the variety. The consequence was that breeding pairs became clumsy and sluggish, and nests of youngsters became more and more difficult to rear".