English

Depiction of a miner with a caged canary.

Alternative forms

• canary in a coal mine
• miners' canary

Noun

miner's canary ‎(plural miner's canaries)

1. A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.
2. (idiomatic) Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

Related terms

• climate canary