Small songbirds with yellow feathers, originally from the Canary Islands, often kept as pets for their beautiful songs.
From Spanish 'canario,' referring to birds from the Canary Islands. The islands were named after wild dogs (Latin 'canis'), not the birds. The bird name became attached to the islands in popular usage, creating a reverse etymology.
Canaries became one of history's most famous rescue animals—coal miners took them underground, and when the birds stopped singing or died from toxic gas, miners knew to evacuate. A tiny bird saved thousands of human lives.
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