At a glance the quick version
General figure for domestic canaries (7-12 or 10-15 years with good care); no breed-specific figure found.
Looks how to spot one
feathers
A pattern canary whose back is covered in neat rows of dark crescent-shaped spangles and whose breast carries dark lines called rowings, giving a scaly, reptile-like look. The top of the head carries a patch of clear feathers called the cap. After the first moult the dark flight feathers gain paler, greyish tips.132
Personality what they are like
A pattern canary valued for its markings rather than song or shape; it is kept and shown much like other canaries.12
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Needs space to fly between perches like other canaries.2
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Preens and bathes itself. Exhibition birds in Britain are colour fed to deepen their golden bronze or warm buff tones.32
Home where they are happiest
Canaries exercise by flying, so choose a cage that is long and wide enough for short flights between perches, or an aviary. Place it away from draughts, windows and strong direct sun, and clean the floor of the cage regularly.2
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A canary seed mix with greens, fruit and vegetables.4
Company who they like around
Can share an aviary with other canaries outside the breeding season.2
The story where it all began
The Lizard is the oldest canary breed still kept, largely unchanged since the 1700s, and it was first shown in London in the 1790s. After the Second World War only a few hundred birds were left, and the Lizard Canary Association was set up in 1945 to save it. Today more Lizards are kept and shown than at any earlier time.132
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
An 1825 description compared its spangled back and breast to the small creeping lizard, which gave the breed its name.1
- 2
In 1945 the whole world population was thought to be no more than about 200-250 birds.3
- 3
It was first illustrated in the London Illustrated News on 12 December 1846 and looks much the same today.1
- 4
Birds are grouped by cap type: clear cap, broken cap and non-cap.3
Recognised by the official bits
- Lizard Canary Association (Great Britain)
- Founded in 1945 to protect and promote the breed3
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Lizard Canary. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Cage linerevery 2 days
- Full cleanevery week
- Bath offerA shallow dish or gentle mistevery 3 days
- Nails checkevery month
- Toy rotationevery 2 weeks
- Out-of-cage timeAbout an hour a day, if tameevery day
- Vet check-upevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Lizard Origins - The Lizard Canary Association lizardcanaryassociation.comused for origin, age, naming, 1846 illustration
- Domestic canary - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for pattern description, history, general care, lifespan
- Lizard History by John Scott - The Lizard Canary Association lizardcanaryassociation.comused for association founding, 1945 population, caps, gold/silver, moult
- A Beginner's Guide to Fife Canaries - Fife Canary Council fifecanarycouncil.comused for general canary diet
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.