Belgian Waterslager (Malinois) Breed Sheet

The waterslager is a song canary best known for its watery voice. In order for a waterslager to be thought of as pure it should be a light yellow or white in color, although ticking is allowed. Ticking is a smudge of dark color on the bird which can range from a small, light grizzled patch to more color over a larger area. Ticking which covers up to about 25% of the bird is acceptable for the KNBB of Belgium and the AWS of the United States; however, many more dark feathers are allowed in birds shown according to the rules of the KBFK of Belgium and the WWC of the United States. Ticking is a condition which, according to some authors, is inherited as clear (all yellow or white) by the birds, and 2 ticked birds which are mated together will yield all clear or ticked young. On the other hand, 2 lightly variegated birds bred together will yield 25% clear, 50% variegated, and 25% all dark birds, and this is because the inheritance works completely differently! This requirement for yellow or white, clear or ticked, birds as well as for having no frilled feathers or crests, allow a judge to be more confident that the bird he is judging is all waterslager. Waterslagers vary in size from about 5 3/4 inches to 6 1/2 inches in length; the smaller size seems to be more prevalent in America, while European birds are often larger.

Although German or Harzer rollers have enjoyed a good press as the song canaries for a long time, the waterslager is thought by some to be the older of the 2 breeds with a voice that is just as beautiful and is much more lively! As was already mentioned, the water notes of this breed are its trademark, and they have been known for these since at least 1713 when a French traveler mentioned the watery voice of the Malinois or Mechelener canaries of Belgium in a travelogue. The ancestors of these birds had been brought into the area from places like France and Holland by refugees escaping religious persecution by the French and Spanish. To this day, the waterslager holds a pre-eminent position as songster in France, Holland, and Belgium despite many hard times and global conflicts. In fact, Robert Mittemeijer, a world-class waterslager judge who travels the world extensively to judge song competitions, told me that in the period not long after the Second World War, which hit Belgium very hard, excellent birds were still common. Birds with an 11 or 12 score in klokkende (water drop note) were widely available; today a 9 score in Belgium is outstanding and in the US we've just scored an 8 for the first time. Although others have blamed the war and its aftermath, Mr. Mittemeijer has maintained that what the armies of World War I and World War II could not do, tragically, the mosquitoes did in the 1950's by spreading canary pox, a deadly disease which is carried to canaries from wild birds. Belgian breeders had to rebuild the breed from what the disease left them to work with, and they are doing a great job. A great bird in Belgium would have a total score of 130, and the highest scoring bird in Belgium in recent times has been a 141 total, and in the US a 120 would be a stupendous score. Any bird with a total score over 90, is considered a good bird anywhere in the world.

The song is made up of 13 possible positive tours or notes. These are Klokkende (water drop--wuuut wuuut wuuut or bloop bloop bloop--worth up to 12 points), bollende (boiling water--wuut-wuut-wuut or bloo-bloo-bloo--worth up to 9 points), rollende (rolling water--wur-wur-wur or blur-blur-blur--worth up to 6 points), chorr/knorr (bass roll--chooorrr or knooorrr--worth up to 6 points), staaltone (steel tones--tong! tong! or ping! ping!--worth up to 9 points), fluiten (flutes--due due due or gloo gloo gloo--worth up to 9 points), woeten (this tour has been lost, but is left on the score sheet in hopes that it will be rediscovered--worth up to 6 points), bellen (bells--te-long te-long te-long or dong or ding--worth up to 6 points), belrol (bell roll--brrringgg or drrronggg--worth up to 6 points), fuitenrol (flute roll--duer-duer-duer or gloor-gloor-gloor--worth up to 6 points), tjok/tjokkenrol (nightingale note or choke--tchok tchok tchok or tchok-tchok-tchok--worth up to 6 points), schokkel (chuckle--blub blub or ha ha ha--worth up to 3 points), onvoorzeine loon (unexpected notes--this is an area where the judge can give points for good notes which don't fit in the other categories); in addition, a judge can give up to 3 points for indruk or impression. Once the points are added, they are multiplied by 3 to get a total (this is because contests used to be judged by a panel of 3 judges, and this keeps modern scores consistent with those older ones for purposes of comparison, etc.) Finally, up to 3 points for team harmony can be given when the birds are staged in teams of 4 birds as is typical.

The line from which my own birds are descended comes, in part, from Mr. Mittemeijer's birds and is based on winning strains from Belgium. I acquired some of my original foundation birds either directly or indirectly from Mr. Stapleton, who bred the US 8 point klokkende bird and has regularly bred birds with 126 point totals (one of which is the father of my foundation male).