The German Roller Canary

Abstract

History
This article was written for those
who have asked the question, "What
is a German roller canary?" In the canary
world, they are known as the
"song canary," a bird specially trained
to become a canary of exceptional
song quality, famous for their outstanding
and superb ability for tone,
range, and depth within their song
vocabulary.
The roller canary is an old breed,
measuring about five and a half inches
and can come in a variety of colors,
such as white, yellow, green, gray,
variegated, and occasionally redorange.
Among the song canaries, the
German roller is the most frequently
heard of within this group. The other,
lesser known song canaries are the
Belgian Waterslager and the Spanish
Timbrado which deserve recognition
and attention in their own right.
Centuries of hard work have been
put into developing and sustaining the
roller song, and I think you'll find its
background quite fascinating. The
German roller canaries originated in
the Harz Mountains of Germany, particularly
in St. Andreasberg between
the 1700s and 1800s. Hundreds of
working class German families (many
of them coal miners) raised and
trained these birds to be the wonderful
songbirds that they are; with the
males in great demand, there was
much profit gained. This was an
important additional source of income
for the miners with their low wages.
Their goal was to create a canary without
the shrill and loudness of your
common canary. Many canaries were
bred for color and type but they
cannot give us the richness of song
desired. Focus must be made on the
song alone in order to develop perfection,
just as anything which is specialized
and studied, given much time
and nurturing, will become a product
of excellence. Initially, color was an
unimportant factor in raising these
birds with the predominant colors
being yellow, variegated, and green as

of the wild canary. All concentration
would be placed on improving the
beautiful song. Much later, after securing
the song, other colors would be
incorporated to create variety. The canary
business began to boom in European
cities and then in America toward
the mid 1800s, with literally millions
of them being exported out of
the Harz Mountains. The early rollers
were tutored by magnificent songbirds
such as the mockingbird, then
later a roller organ was developed, a
musical instrument specifically for
song training. Over the generations,
those canaries who easily learned to
pick up the song were selected for
breeding and the less gifted ones were
culled and sold as pets. Their ability to
learn was so great as to establish this
special breed of canary with its operatic,
sophisticated song.
Song
The song of the German roller is
nearly always sung with its beak
closed and a true roller is marked by
this characteristic. The song is sung in
a soft manner, very pleasant to the ear
and relaxing to listen to. While reaching
their wide range of notes, you'll
notice how the feathers of the throat
rise forward with a vibrating motion as
they adjust from one tour to another.
The song covers nearly three octaves
and rollers are trained to excel in the
musical passages known as "tours,"
which consist of hollow roll, bass roll,
flutes, and hollow bell, with a series of
supplemental tours, each with a variation
in tempo and resonance. There
are 13 tours which are sung in a rolling
fashion, hence the name roller
canary. Youngsters should preferably
be trained by their father, but a tape
may be used as the next best thing
and is commonly utilized. Individual
birds will tend to be outstanding in a
few favored tours, with each bird
being unique. Commonly heard are
the hollow roll, bass, and flute notes
as compared to the water notes, gluck,
and schockel which in these days are

heard infrequently; with improved
clarity and expertise in the former
notes. Rarely, would you find a bird
which is accomplished in all of them.
Development of song in youngsters
(as young as six weeks of age) begins
with a few shy, twittering notes, first
sung in fragments. Eventually, after
building their confidence, they will
progress into the structuring and the
lengthening of their song into the various
rolls or tours. It is a gradual process
which can take up to 18 months
to fully mature into the more complex
stages. Although, much earlier than
this, one can judge the future potential
by closely listening to each youngster
audition, as later described. A lot of
the roller song is thought to be inherited.
There are those who belive the
roller needs no formal training at all in
that they will develop the song all on
their own. The majority of others
believe in tutors, as birds who remain
isolated at a young age usually do not
develop their song to their full potential,
while those who have had the
guideance of their father or another
proper substitute will, indeed, have an
edge over one who does not. Using a
tape or "live" tutor, as long as it is in
the pure roller song, certainly can do
no harm and probably does more
good in enhancing their natural ability.
Keep in mind that birds which
hatch early in the season have the
advantage of hearing their father and
other neighboring males sing for a
longer period of time. Those from
later clutches will develop the song a
little slower, be farther behind the
others, and will benefit greatly from a
regularly played tape when the "live"
song may no longer be available. Rollers
generally are excellent mimics,
but their capacity for learning is
directly related to the lineage of both
father and mother birds. Care should
be taken to allow only quality tutors in
the room with your young males, so
they do not pick up any undesirable
notes or faults. For example, you must
watch out for high frequency and

harshness in the bell tour and water
tour.