Canaries Are Named After Dogs
A canary is a small yellow songbird. Its name traces through the Canary Islands to the Latin word for dog.
A canary is a small finch kept for its song, native to the Canary Islands. The chain of naming is unexpected: Pliny recorded the islands as *Insula Canaria*, island of dogs, after the large dogs found there. The islands named the bird, and the bird named the colour — so a canary yellow jumper is, at several removes, dog-coloured.
- A small yellow songbird. *A pet canary.*
- A bright yellow colour. *Canary yellow.*
- An informer (slang). *He sang like a canary.*
- Canary in the coal mine — an early warning. *A canary in the coal mine for the industry.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | canary | A singing canary. |
| Plural | canaries | Two canaries. |
| Adjective | canary | Canary yellow. |
| Place | Canary Islands | The Canary Islands. |
| Related | finch | A wild finch. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Canaries warned miners of gas.They react before humans do.
- He sang like a canary.Informed on his associates.
- A canary in the coal mine.An early warning sign.
Canaries in mines
- Carbon monoxide — the gas they detected
- Faster metabolism — birds show effects before people do
- Used from 1911 — introduced in British mines
- Retired in 1986 — replaced by electronic detectors
- Revival kits — later cages could revive the bird with oxygen
From Spanish *canario*, from Latin *Insula Canaria*, island of dogs, from *canis*, dog. The bird was exported across Europe from the fifteenth century.
Were canaries really used in mines?
Yes, from 1911 until 1986 in Britain. Their faster metabolism meant they showed the effects of carbon monoxide before miners did.
Are the islands named after birds?
The other way round. The islands were named for their dogs, and the birds were named after the islands.