What is Songbird (SGB)?
Songbird is a canary network for Flare. A canary network is a working blockchain with a defined token supply intended to be used to test the functionality of the associated mainnet. Users have a balance that cannot be replenished freely in the canary network. Flare network is a distributed network that is run on the Avalanche consensus protocol and utilizes Ethereum virtual machines.The Ethereum Virtual Machine is the software platform on which developers can build decentralized apps (DApps) on Ethereum.
Songbird has two different phases. Before the launch of the Flare network, Songbird was intended to help the Flare network test the FTSO(Flare Time Series Oracle), FAsset system, and network architecture. F-assets are a trustless representation of tokens from other blockchains that have been minted on the Flare Network for usage in DeFi protocols.The FTSO and FAsset protocols run on Songbird, generating FAsset from the underlying token. This process improves the security, stability, and reliability of the final release of Flare.
After Flare's launch, Songbird aims to be a long-term network for testing governance-related changes to Flare, including adding new FAsset, change to FTSO, FAsset system, or other network changes.
Songbird has two other core applications, advanced testing and community building of applications launched by Flare. Ideally, all applications launched with Flare, especially those that use the FTSO and FAsset systems, are tested with Songbird first. Second, as a way for FLR token (native token of Flare network) owners to become accustomed to the significant Flare protocols without jeopardizing the FLR tokens. Songbird is intended to familiarize them with delegating to FTSO, creating FAssets, and using applications built on Flare.
Songbird has its own token SGB, which is distributed only once and in equal proportions to all similar recipients of the FLR distribution. SGB tokens can be used to perform governance roles. Governance has nothing to do with implementing changes to Songbird itself (because Songbird is subordinate to Flare for this purpose). However, governance can help add chains, prices, and FAssets to the FTSO, and FAsset protocols. These are the changes not proposed by Flare Governance.