Domestic canary In the UK, this practice ceased in 1986. Typically, the domestic canary is kept as a popular cage and aviary bird. Given proper housing and care, a canary's lifespan ranges from 10 to 15 years. The birds are named after Spain's Canary Islands, which derive their name from the Latin "Insula Canaria" (after one of the larger islands, Gran Canaria), meaning "island of dogs", due to its "vast multitudes of dogs of very large size". Canaries are generally divided into three main groups: While wild canaries are a yellowish-green colour, domestic canaries have been selectively bred for a wide variety
Conquest of the Canary Islands the islands.) European interest in the Canaries picked up quickly after the 1341 mapping expedition. The descriptions of the primeval Guanches, in particular, drew the attention of European merchants, who immediately saw the prospect of new and easy slave-raiding grounds. In 1342, two Majorcan expeditions, one under Francesc Duvalers, another under Domenech Gual, assembled by private merchant consortia with a commission from Roger de Robenach (representative of James III of Majorca) set out for the Canary islands. The results of these expeditions are uncertain. The Catholic Church was also drawn by the news. In 1344, the Castilian-French noble Luis de