Why Not Robin Orange Breast And Orange Fox?

What do these two images have in common? Firstly territory. The robin isn't singing for my delectation, it's proclaiming its territory. (That didn't stop me talking quietly to it and telling it how beautiful it is.)  Reynard, or Hermeline, glimpsed through the scrub, is scent-marking to delineate its territory.

Secondly red/orange. I wondered why robins are known as robin redbreasts and foxes are known as red foxes when both are clearly orange. The word “orange”  wasn’t an option when the bird was named. Oranges, the fruit, first arrived in England in the 1300s. It wasn’t until the 1500s that the word “orange” was used in England to describe a colour after that of the fruit . Before that the colour was known as yellow-red  By the time “orange” entered wide-spread use, redbreast was established as the bird’s name. I'm guessing that it was similar with the red fox.
   

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.