HISTORY
Speaking of the history and origins of the MW in a comprehensive manner is by no means simple. The news we receive are in fact fragmented, incomplete and somewhat rough, so our aim is to trace, in broad terms, all the steps that led to the creation of this wonderful singer.
The MW, like all the different breeds of canaries selected by humans, now present, derived from the canary who lived and still lives in the Canary Islands: the “Serinus Canarius”.
Around early 1400, the Spaniards conquered the Canary Islands by the trade in canaries a real bargain. These are the canaries, only males that were exported and sold in staggering proportions (a bit ‘like now for people who win the exhibitions …), they ended up making the company rich variety of Europe, the only ones who could afford the luxury buy.
The luck of the bird compared to “our” Goldfinch or Serin is undoubtedly due to the fact that, while the latter sings only during the spring and summer, the “Serinus Canarius”, besides having a joyful and melodious song, sings for the entire year.
Soon the canary spread throughout Europe, becoming popular thanks to the accidental importation of some female, and this allowed him to raise them in cages. Cradle of lovers “Canarius” was Flanders.
It is certain that in 1600, these territories were present in the canaries of large size, called “canaries Dutch”, “big yellow” … etc, mainly yellow, perhaps obtained by selecting some pure mutation. And ‘this canary, who with patient and intelligent selection, Flemish farmers got most of the breeds present form and position.
Meanwhile in Germany, the Harz mountains, and in Italy in the area of Tyrol, a small group of enthusiasts interested him immediately to the singing qualities of our winged friend and not his appearance. The canary, good imitator, and issued learned that listening to the sounds of nature in these places, like water flowing or dripping, the sound of wind in the trees, and some phrase he heard the nightingale in the spring.
It is in these areas that seem to be born Harzer canary-roller, rolled by hand and subdued. It seems that these canaries were crossed with the “big yellow” to create your own Malinois Waterslager in Flanders, and in particular in the area of Antwerp and Mechelen, hence the name Malinois. The use of these crossings was apparently quite limited, since the large yellow was already a great singer. Waterslager stands for cantor of sounds of water. For a certain period of time was also used the term Nachtslager (cantor usignolato).
At the dawn of creation of MW breeders tried to fix in the singing of the bird, good imitator, the sentences of the nightingale has always been considered the best singer in nature. And in fact, doing so with wise and patient selection, the repertoire of the MW were set, called the sentences “usignolate”, ie, metallic sounds and various flutes, however, only vaguely reminiscent of the nightingale, capable of quite a different power of song.
Meanwhile in the canary took over the new phrases that evoke the sound of dripping water, bubbling, flowing. MW makes the modern with great skill these sounds, typical of his repertoire, which justly excite and impress even the most inexperienced listener. It is on these melodies that breeders selectively target the most effort.
In this cauldron of events that repeat, we come with great accuracy, the only certain date is that of the first club in Antwerp MW of lovers: it was 1872.
In Italy the presence of MW is due to some farmers mostly Abruzzo of Pescara, who decades ago, some couples imported from Belgium. It is now present in small groups of enthusiasts around the country with a distribution to “patchy”. This is testified by the various clubs were born from south to north of the peninsula.
It is still the most popular singer in the world and growing popular with some fans’ in all continents.