How to Train a Bird to Sing for Singing Contests
Songbird singing contests are popular in a number of places internationally, including Singapore, where the Community Centers of the Singapore People's Association organizes most competitions. Up to 600 birds are entered into these competitions. Singapore keepers will typically train four types of song birds. These species are the shama, or singing canary, the China thrush, the white eye and the red whiskered bulbul. Bird owners often enter roller canaries in singing competitions in the United States and New Zealand. Outstanding song birds usually have a loud high-pitched voice and sing with rolling notes. Song birds must be relaxed around people and other birds.
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Things You'll Need
- Spacious cage of approximately 2-inch diameter
- Song bird
- Cloth, large enough to partly cover the cage
- Previously trained song bird, including cage
- Recordings of a proficient song bird's song (optional)
Instructions
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Place your songbird in a spacious, suspended cage. Choose a large cage, with a diameter of approximately 21 inches.
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Position the cage indoors, so the bird becomes accustomed to the presence of people. Place the cage in a draft-free location in the room. Choose an area in the room that does not receive direct sunshine.
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Half-cover the cage with a cloth to cut down on excessive distractions. Cover the cage for two to three hours every day.
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Allow your bird to develop its own natural song during the months before it begins to molt for the first time. The young bird will develop its voice box during this period and prior to the commencement of training.
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Expose the young bird to older birds that are proficient at singing, at the onset of its first molt. Many songbirds learn to sing easier if they are mimicking another bird. House the older bird in a separate cage, but place both cages in the same room.
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Source a recording of a proficient singing canary's songs if you are unable to obtain a bird to assist with training.
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Condition the bird to strange places and noises by taking the bird in its cage to areas where other songbird trainers gather to practice. Here the bird will be exposed not only to different people, but to new birds as well.
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Expose your young bird to either the older proficient singing bird, or to a recording, until it begins to sing correctly.
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References
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Comments
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A must for all African green/grey singing finches (canary)lovers!
