Canary Vs. Parakeet: Which Makes A Better Pet? [Differences Explained]

Made famous by Looney Tunes’ Tweety, canaries are popular cage birds known for their bright yellow hue. However, domestic canaries also come in other colors.

Parakeets, dubbed lovebirds, often have green or blue plumage, but they can be yellow, too. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two.

Both canaries and parakeets come in various colors, but canaries are smaller and lighter. Canaries are songbirds, and they are often more vocal than parakeets. However, parakeets can learn to mimic speech, whereas canaries can only mimic other sounds. Parakeets are gentle, docile, and often bond with their owners. Canaries are shier and don’t like being handled.

The table below shows a quick list of characteristics and differences between parakeets vs. canaries

Characteristics	Canary	Parakeet
Classification (family)	Fringillidae	Psittacidae
Native geographic range	Eastern Atlantic Ocean	Worldwide in warm regions
Natural habitat	Pine and laurel forests to sand dunes	Grasslands, savannas, woodlands, open forests, farmlands
Size	3.9 to 5 inches	7 to 8 inches
Weight	0.5 to 0.7 ounces	1 to 1.4 ounces
Appearance	Robust bodies and short, cone-shaped beaks	Robust bodies and long, curved beaks
Colors	Yellow (most popular) and a variety of other colors	Green and blue (most popular) and a variety of other colors
Temperament	Somewhat timid and shy. Doesn’t usually like being handled	Gentle, docile, and easy to tame. Bonds with owners
Vocalization	Vocal with a varied range of vocalization. Can mimic sounds but not speech	Vocal. Can mimic sounds and speech
Nutrition (in captivity)	Granivores	Whole seeds and vegetables
Care	Easy	Easy
Breeding	Spring; 13-14 days egg incubation time	Spring; 18-23 days egg incubation time
Common health problems	Bacterial and viral infections	Bacterial and viral infections, liver diseases, hormonal diseases, tumors
Exercise requirements	High	Moderate
Lifespan	5 to 10 years	8 to 15 years

*Data in the table above was sourced from research papers, veterinary websites, magazines, almanacs, and other official sources that are cited throughout this article.