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Glite Dictionary
Serinus canaria

Serinus canaria

8.0
A small songbird often kept in a cage for its singing
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛrɪnəs kəˈnɛəriə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : canario
  • The Serinus canaria is a popular choice among pet owners due to its sweet song.

Examples

  • The Serinus canaria is admired worldwide for its beautiful singing ability.

  • In addition to their lovely singing, Serinus canaria birds have a charming yellow color.

  • In the wild, Serinus canaria inhabits the subtropical forests of the Canary Islands.

  • Many aviculturists breed Serinus canaria for their vibrant plumage and cheerful songs.

  • The Serinus canaria is known for its beautiful singing.

  • Many people enjoy keeping Serinus canarias as pets.

  • Many people appreciate the Serinus canaria for its ability to mimic tunes and phrases.

Synonyms

canary
vsSerinus canaria
14 2.1

A small bright yellow songbird often kept as a pet for its singing

is the scientific species name rather than the common everyday name
canary bird
vsSerinus canaria
1 1.3

A small yellow songbird often kept as a pet for its singing

is the scientific species name rather than an everyday label
common canary
vsSerinus canaria
2.5

A small yellow bird kept as a pet for its song

is the formal scientific species name used by scientists

Surface Forms

Serinus canaria singular
Serinus canarias plural

Morphology

Serinus + canaria

The form is a Latin scientific name: 'Serinus' is explicitly a genus of small finches, which signals a bird, but 'canaria' is not a standard English word and its link to the Canary Islands/‘canary’ requires knowledge of place-derived Latin adjectives and taxonomic naming conventions. Because understanding the full meaning depends on recognizing Latin binomial morphology or the place-name origin rather than ordinary compositional English, it is partially but not fully predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Serinus canaria is the scientific name for the small singing bird we call a canary. The name comes from the 'Canary Islands', where people first knew the bird, and because travellers brought these bright songbirds to Europe as cage pets, the island name stuck and now means the bird we keep for its song.