canary vs canary-yellow

canary is a noun but canary-yellow is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
canary	Yes	Yes	No	No
canary-yellow	No	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, canary and canary-yellow are synonyms defined as:

canary and canary-yellow: having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow

canary (noun)	canary-yellow (noun)
any of several small Old World finches
a moderate yellow with a greenish tinge
a female singer
someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police

canary (adjective)	canary-yellow (adjective)
having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow	having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow