miner's canary
See also: miners' canary
English
![](Images/wiktionary/Strasbourg-16_rue_du_22_Novembre_(4).jpg.webp)
Depiction of a miner with a caged canary.
Alternative forms
- canary in a coal mine
- miners' canary
Noun
miner's canary (plural miners' canaries or miner's canaries)
- A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.
- (idiomatic) Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.
Related terms
- climate canary