Position and feather alone carry half of the total
At a show a Yorkshire canary is not judged by eye alone; it is scored under six headings. The 100 points are split as follows:
The points
- Position — 25 points. A confident upright stance, long legs, visible and slightly bent thighs, and a tail carried a little high.
- Feather — 25 points. Close, short and tight feathering; wings proportionately long and meeting neatly at the centre of the back.
- Head — 20 points. A full, round and distinct head, a neck level with the rise of the shoulders, a centrally placed eye and broad, round shoulders.
- Body — 10 points. An even roundness tapering gently towards the tail.
- Size — 10 points. About 17 cm, keeping the symmetrical proportions.
- Condition — 10 points. Health, cleanliness, sound feather and even colour.
Why position weighs so much
Position and feather together carry half of the total. This is what sets the Yorkshire apart from other canary breeds: how the bird stands in its cage matters more than its size or its colour. The cage and perch sizes are not arbitrary either — they are laid down in the specification so that the bird can show its correct position.
The full wording of each heading is on the Standards page, and the cage sizes are on the Show Cage and Perch Sizes page.