Canaries were iconically used in coal mines to detect the presence of carbon monoxide. The bird's rapid breathing rate, small size, and high metabolism, compared to the miners, led birds …

Mar 7, 2024 · Throughout much of the 20th century, chirping canaries were staples of the coal mining industry. As coal miners descended into the earth—entering a harsh environment often …

Apr 25, 2025 · Any early warning sign can be a canary in a coal mine. But the original meaning was more specific.

Jul 31, 2024 · Heeding Haldane’s recommendation, British miners began taking canaries into the coal mines — carried in small metal or wooden cages — to detect the presence of odorless …

Mar 12, 2024 · This is where the popular phrase “canary in the coal mine”, used to describe an indication of an upcoming danger, actually comes from. Coal miners face a number of dangers …

The frogs, butterflies, and trees suffering from climate change are canaries in the coal mine. They act as signals of the dangers to stronger and more resilient species that may develop if global …

The canary in the coal mine has long been a metaphor for early warnings, but for actual coal miners those birds were a matter of life and death. In Colorado coal mines, however, the …

Mar 27, 2025 · Canaries are small, relatively easy to care for – especially compared to, say, a small dog – which made them practical in the harsh, often cramped, conditions of a coal mine. …

The phrase “canary in a coal mine” is an idiom that has been used for centuries to describe a warning sign or an early indicator of danger. This expression comes from the practice of using …

Sep 8, 2020 · The canary’s role in mines became so engrained in the English language that “a canary in the coalmine” is now a well-known phrase, used to refer to early indicators of …