Spanish Timbrado Breed Sheet

When one begins to analyze the characteristics of this breed's song, one will immediately see that it is made up of three distinct styles of performance, each of which has its own charm. The three styles are known as "clasico", "intermedio", and "floreado". Although these three styles can sound very different, they are thought of as 3 song lines of the one timbrado breed. The clasico songed birds are referred to by this term because their style of song was the first to be presented to the COM (Worldwide Ornithological Confederation) and was the one accepted by that group. However, the other 2 song lines are at least as old and just as well established. It should be noted here that often a Spaniard's preference for one song type over another is very strong and related to what region of Spain he lives in because the three lines were developed and promoted in different areas. I will come back to this somewhat sticky point after a little history.

The history of canary culture goes back further in Spain than anywhere else. Once the Spanish crown took over the Canary Islands in the late 1400's, the local song birds began to be imported to the mainland. Along with exotic products from a growing empire and American gold, these birds took their place among the things a truly sophisticated and wealthy Spaniard thought necessary for a satisfying life. Soon it became a popular fad to present a singing canary in a bejeweled cage to one's lady love, both in Spain and throughout Europe, and enormous prices could be asked for the birds. Soon industrious religious in the convents and monasteries of Spain began breeding the birds in order to raise money for these houses. Once the first yellow or white feathers of domestication began to show among the original greenish-brown, the Spanish birds would have become even more popular than the wild-caught imported type. The Spanish continued to breed their birds for pleasant song over the centuries, until just before the Spanish Civil War. At that time, a group of breeders took what was called el canario del pais (the country's canary) and began to cross breed it with the canario silvestre (the original wild-caught type from the islands) in order to strengthen in their stock the character that had initially attracted their ancestors to the little birds in the first place. Although much of this work was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, it was taken up with renewed enthusiasm in the 1950's. Because of this interesting history, one could make a case that the timbrado is both the oldest and newest of the major European song canary breeds!

According to some experts in timbrado song, one may hear distinct dialects in the voices of the wild birds on the different slopes of the Canary Islands. In some areas the birds sing with a distinctive continuous rolling ring, while in others the song is more heavily laced with disjointed notes and flutes, with little or no rolling. These experts go on to say that these dialects are the foundation for the 3 song lines of the timbrado. The rolling birds give us the clasico line, the disjointed flute birds give us the floreado line, and the intermedio birds fall somewhere in between. It was noted earlier that the Spanish breeders tend to strongly favor some one line over the others, and arguments over which is best or most authentic happen regularly! Unfortunately, the disputes over what a great timbrado should sound like have spilled over to the US as well.

Until recently, the US National timbrado competition has been judged using the score sheet of Spain's FOE. This system strongly favors the clasico lines, and many of our US birds fall into that category for this reason. On the other hand, international shows are usually judged using the FOCDE score sheet which allows a wider range of birds, from clasico to floreado, to score well. In the US there is a new club called the United Spanish Timbrado Fanciers, to which I belong, which was founded to overcome some of the difficulties of the timbrado's past, including a score sheet which would be fair to all 3 lines of birds. This score sheet, which is being developed by the USTF with the help of Dr. Hurtado, is still in the formative phase but will probably look at 11 aspects of the timbrado's song. These are timbres (metallic roll--rrriii--it is said to be the sound of an old fashioned door bell--continuous), variationes rodadas (hollow roll--rrrooo or rrruuu--continuous), timbre de agua (water roll--bli-bli-bli--semi-continuous), cascabel (jingle bells--lin-lin-lin--semi-continuous), castanuela (castanet--clak-clak-clak or cla-cla-cla--semi-continuous), floreos (flourishes or flutes--tuio tuio tuio or piau piau piau or due due due--disjointed), agua lenta and agua semiligada (slow water and semi-continuous water--slow: blub blub blub--semi-continuous: blu-blu-blu), cloqueos (glucks--clok-clok-clok or clo-clo-clo--semi-continuous), campana (bell--tong tong tong or te-lon te-lon te-lon--disjointed), variaciones conjuntas (joint variations--this is when a particularly talented bird sings any 2 of the above at the same time!!! It is a literal talking out of both sides of the mouth), impresion (impression--here the judge is allowed to give points for the overall effect of the song).

A timbrado can vary widely in appearance, and there are only a few things to look out for. A timbrado may have a crest and be of any color except red factor. Red factor birds have hooded siskin blood, and this would be contrary to the timbrado's purity of lineage and song. Another thing to beware of is frilled or twisted feathers as this would show cross breeding with frilled canaries. Colors which are acceptable are dominant white, blue, cinnamon, yellow, variegated, and of course the wild bird's greenish brown. In fact, in some Spanish clubs this last color is preferred because it shows a direct link to the wild birds, and the greens are said to have the best voices.

My birds are derived, in part, from Dr. Hurtado's line, mainly based on Spanish birds which have been imported only recently. My foundation male is related to the 2000 National champion on both sides of his pedigree.



Roller Canaries in Sankt Andreasberg
Originally published in the German periodical, Kanarienvogels
Translated into Spanish for Revista Pajaros by Julian Rodriguez Garcia
Translated from Spanish by Sebastian Vallelunga

The mountainous city of Sankt Andreasberg, Germany, celebrated in September of 1987 the 500th anniversary of its opening. Another motive to visit this city was, for me as a Roller canary breeder, the desire to investigate more closely the history of these birds and their development as singers. But before getting deeper into the breeding of canaries, I would like to familiarize you on something of the foundation of the city of Sankt Andreasberg, which may be of interest to more than one of you.

At the end of the 14th century, miners from nearby mountains came to the Harz in search of minerals. Rumors had arrived that they would encounter good mineral layers to the south of Oberharz. They packed their goods and equipment without fear of the fatigue which was encountered in their large displacement or of the hard trails of the mountains; riches and wellbeing would be encountered in the Harz. They settled in the valleys that today comprise the city of Sankt Andreasberg and commenced the difficult tasks of mining.

Their efforts were enough to ensure success, for according to some writings there were yet other layers spread here and there across the mountains for them to encounter; they had good results with the minerals they were able to scrape from the rock and which they sold in Bostar, Nordhausen, Hannover, etc. Between the recompense that they received for their hard work and the privations that they had been previously accustomed to, many found themselves at a good standard of living. They constructed small but comfortable homes and began families. In this way many whole neighborhoods were born on the slopes of the mountains. The miners could not at first agree on a name for their village. But as believers, the miners had Saint Andrew as their patron saint.

Each mine had its own proper name: The Mine of Hope, Saint George