bird : Idioms & Phrases

• noun large Indian stork with a military gait
  Leptoptilus dubius; adjutant stork; adjutant.
  

WordNet

• noun chiefly web-footed swimming birds
  

WordNet

• noun any of various dull-colored South American birds that feeding on ants some following army ant swarms
  antbird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), one of a very extensive group of South American birds (Formicariidæ), which live on ants. The family includes many species, some of which are called ant shrikes, ant thrushes, and ant wrens.

Webster 1913

• noun nonpasserine bird having long wings and weak feet; spends much of its time in flight
  

WordNet

• noun wading and swimming and diving birds of either fresh or salt water
  

WordNet

• the phenix.

Webster 1913

• noun young bird not yet fledged
  nestling.
  

WordNet

• noun eastern subspecies of northern oriole
  Baltimore oriole; hangbird; Icterus galbula galbula; firebird.
  

WordNet

Bal"ti*more bird`, Bal"ti*more o"ri*ole (Also<

• Baltimore bird
• Baltimore oriole

)

Definitions

1. Zoöl.) A common American bird (Icterus galbula), named after Lord Baltimore, because its colors (black and orange red) are like those of his coat of arms; -- called also golden robin.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a small American bird (Icterus leucopteryx), which feeds on the banana.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the siskin.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a bird that eats the honeybee, as the European flycatcher, and the American kingbird.

Webster 1913

Bird" cage", Bird"cage` noun (Also<

• Bird cage
• Birdcage

)

Definitions

1. A cage for confining birds.

Webster 1913

• noun any of several small-fruited cherry trees frequented or fed on by birds
  bird cherry.
  

WordNet

Bird" cher`ry

Definitions

1. (Bot.) A shrub (Prunus Padus ) found in Northern and Central Europe. It bears small black cherries.

Webster 1913

• noun any of several small-fruited cherry trees frequented or fed on by birds
  bird cherry.
  

WordNet

• noun a gun dog trained to locate or retrieve birds
  

WordNet

• noun a family of warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
  

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• noun a person with a strong interest in birds
  

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Bird" fan`ci*er

Definitions

1. One who takes pleasure in rearing or collecting rare or curious birds.
2. One who has for sale the various kinds of birds which are kept in cages.

Webster 1913

• noun food given to birds; usually mixed seeds
  bird feed; birdseed.
  

WordNet

• noun an outdoor device that supplies food for wild birds
  birdfeeder; feeder.
  

WordNet

• noun food given to birds; usually mixed seeds
  bird feed; birdseed.
  

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• noun a genus of birds
  

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• noun wingless insect with mouth parts adapted for biting; mostly parasitic on birds
  biting louse; louse.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a wingless insect of the group Mallophaga, of which the genera and species are very numerous and mostly parasitic upon birds. Bird mite (Zoöl.), a small mite (genera Dermanyssus, Dermaleichus and allies) parasitic upon birds. The species are numerous.

Webster 1913

• noun nest where birds lay their eggs and hatch their young
  bird nest; birdnest.
  

WordNet

• noun any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
  eagle.
  

WordNet

• the eagle.

Webster 1913

• noun very large terrestrial southeast Asian pheasant often raised as an ornamental bird
  peafowl.
  

WordNet

• the peacock.

Webster 1913

• noun nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
  owl; hooter; bird of Minerva.
  

WordNet

• noun nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
  owl; hooter; bird of Minerva.
  

WordNet

• noun a tropical flowering shrub having bright orange or red flowers; sometimes placed in genus Poinciana
  Poinciana gilliesii; poinciana; Caesalpinia gilliesii.
  
• noun ornamental plant of tropical South Africa and South America having stalks of orange and purplish-blue flowers resembling a bird
  Strelitzia reginae.
  
• noun any of numerous brilliantly colored plumed birds of the New Guinea area
  

WordNet

Bird" of par"a*dise

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The name of several very beautiful birds of the genus Paradisea and allied genera, inhabiting New Guinea and the adjacent islands. The males have brilliant colors, elegant plumes, and often remarkable tail feathers. ✍ The Great emerald (Paradisea apoda) and the Lesser emerald (P. minor) furnish many of the plumes used as ornaments by ladies; the Red is P. rubra or sanguinea; the Golden is Parotia aurea or sexsetacea; the King is Cincinnurus regius. The name is also applied to the longer-billed birds of another related group (Epimachinæ) from the same region. The Twelve-wired (Seleucides alba) is one of these. See Paradise bird, and Note under Apod.

Webster 1913

• noun someone who leads a wandering unsettled life
  roamer; rover; wanderer.
  
• noun any bird that migrates seasonally
  

WordNet

• a migratory bird.

Webster 1913

• noun any of numerous carnivorous birds that hunt and kill other animals
  bird of prey; raptor.
  

WordNet

• noun United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
  Charles Christopher Parker; Parker; Yardbird Parker; Charlie Parker.
  

WordNet

• noun plant bearing very small and very hot oblong red fruits; includes wild forms native to tropical America; thought to be ancestral to the sweet pepper and many hot peppers
  Capsicum frutescens baccatum; Capsicum baccatum.
  

WordNet

Bird" pep`per

Definitions

1. A species of capsicum (Capsicum baccatum), whose small, conical, coral-red fruit is among the most piquant of all red peppers.

Webster 1913

• noun a building where birds are kept
  volary; aviary.
  

WordNet

• noun small lead shot for shotgun shells
  duck shot; buckshot.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a very large South American spider (Mygale avicularia). It is said sometimes to capture and kill small birds.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a dipterous insect parasitic upon birds (genus Ornithomyia, and allies), usually winged.

Webster 1913

• noun common perennial climber of temperate regions of Eurasia and North America having dense elongate clusters of flowers
  Vicia cracca; Calnada pea; tufted vetch.
  

WordNet

• noun a zoologist who studies birds
  ornithologist.
  
• noun a person who identifies and studies birds in their natural habitats
  birder.
  

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• noun Old World plant with axillary racemes of blue-and-white flowers
  Veronica chamaedrys; germander speedwell.
  

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• noun a situation or topic as if viewed from an altitude or distance
  panoramic view.
  

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• noun the foot of a bird
  

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• noun European forage plant having claw-shaped pods introduced in America
  bird's foot clover; Lotus corniculatus; bacon and eggs; babies' slippers.
  

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• noun Old World herb related to fenugreek
  Trigonella ornithopodioides.
  
• noun European forage plant having claw-shaped pods introduced in America
  bird's foot clover; Lotus corniculatus; bacon and eggs; babies' slippers.
  

WordNet

• noun nest where birds lay their eggs and hatch their young
  bird nest; birdnest.
  

WordNet

Bird's" nest`, Bird's-nest noun (Also<

• Bird's nest
• Bird's-nest

)

Definitions

1. The nest in which a bird lays eggs and hatches her young.
2. (Cookery) The nest of a small swallow (Collocalia nidifica and several allied species), of China and the neighboring countries, which is mixed with soups. ✍ The nests are found in caverns and fissures of cliffs on rocky coasts, and are composed in part of algæ. They are of the size of a goose egg, and in substance resemble isinglass. See Illust. under Edible.
3. (Bot.) An orchideous plant with matted roots, of the genus Neottia (N. nidus-avis.)

Webster 1913

• noun tropical Old World or Australian epiphytic fern frequently forming tufts in tree crotches
  Asplenium nidus.
  

WordNet

Bird's"-beak` noun

Definitions

1. (Arch.) A molding whose section is thought to resemble a beak.

Webster 1913

• adjective satellite as from an altitude or distance
  panoramic.
  
  • a bird's-eye survey
  • a panoramic view

WordNet

Bird's"-eye` adjective

Definitions

1. Seen from above, as if by a flying bird; embraced at a glance; hence, general not minute, or entering into details; as, a bird's-eye view.
2. Marked with spots resembling bird's eyes; as, bird's-eye diaper; bird's-eye maple.

Bird's"-eye` noun

Definitions

1. (Bot.) A plant with a small bright flower, as the Adonis or pheasant's eye, the mealy primrose (Primula farinosa), and species of Veronica, Geranium, etc.

Webster 1913

• noun shrub with narrow-elliptic glossy evergreen leaves and yellow flowers with leathery petaloid sepals
  Ochna serrulata.
  

WordNet

• noun maple wood having a wavy grain with eyelike markings
  

WordNet

Bird's"-eye` ma"ple

Definitions

1. See under Maple.

Webster 1913

Bird's"-foot` noun

Definitions

1. (Bot.) A papilionaceous plant, the Ornithopus, having a curved, cylindrical pod tipped with a short, clawlike point.

Webster 1913

• noun cliff brake of California and Baja California having purple-brown leafstalks
  Pellaea mucronata; Pellaea ornithopus.
  

WordNet

• noun common violet of the eastern United States with large pale blue or purple flowers resembling pansies
  wood violet; Johnny-jump-up; pansy violet; Viola pedata.
  

WordNet

Bird's-mouth` noun

Definitions

1. (Arch.) An interior agle or notch cut across a piece of timber, for the reception of the edge of another, as that in a rafter to be laid on a plate; -- commonly called crow's-foot in the United States.

Webster 1913

• noun any of various fungi of the family Nidulariaceae having a cup-shaped body containing several egg-shaped structure enclosing the spores
  

WordNet

Bird's-nest`ing noun

Definitions

1. Hunting for, or taking, birds' nests or their contents.

Webster 1913

Bird's"-tongue` noun

Definitions

1. (Bot.) The knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare).

Webster 1913

Bird"-eyed` adjective

Definitions

1. Quick-sighted; catching a glance as one goes.

Webster 1913

• noun any of numerous carnivorous dinosaurs of the Triassic to Cretaceous with short forelimbs that walked or ran on strong hind legs
  theropod dinosaur; theropod.
  

WordNet

• verb gather birdnests
  birdnest.
  
  • They went birdnesting in the early morning

WordNet

• noun common trailing perennial milkwort of eastern North America having leaves like wintergreen and usually rosy-purple flowers with winged sepals
  fringed polygala; gaywings; Polygala paucifolia; flowering wintergreen.
  

WordNet

• noun an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
  scarer; strawman; scarecrow; straw man.
  

WordNet

Bird"-wit`ted adjective

Definitions

1. Flighty; passing rapidly from one subject to another; not having the faculty of attention. Bacon.

Webster 1913

• noun mostly white web-footed tropical seabird often found far from land
  boatswain bird; tropicbird.
  

WordNet

Bow"er bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) An Australian bird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus or holosericeus), allied to the starling, which constructs singular bowers or playhouses of twigs and decorates them with brightcolored objects; the satin bird. ✍ The name is also applied to other related birds of the same region, having similar habits; as, the spotted bower bird (Chalmydodera maculata), and the regent bird (Sericulus melinus).

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), an African bird of the genus Buphaga, of two species. These birds perch upon buffaloes and cattle, in search of parasites.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a species of shrike of the genus Lanius.

Webster 1913

• a bird taught to allure others into a snare.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the ostrich.

Webster 1913

• noun any of several small Old World finches
  canary.
  

WordNet

Ca*na"ry bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) A small singing bird of the Finch family (Serinus Canarius), a native of the Canary Islands. It was brought to Europe in the 16th century, and made a household pet. It generally has a yellowish body with the wings and tail greenish, but in its wild state it is more frequently of gray or brown color. It is sometimes called canary finch. and canary.

Webster 1913

• (Bot.), a climbing plant (Tropæolum peregrinum) with canary-colored flowers of peculiar form; called also canary vine.

Webster 1913

• noun long-winged nonpasserine birds
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an American song bird (Cardinalis cardinalis, or C. Virginianus), of the family Fringillidæ, or finches having a bright red plumage, and a high, pointed crest on its head. The males have loud and musical notes resembling those of a fife. Other related species are also called cardinal birds.

Webster 1913

• noun birds having keeled breastbones for attachment of flight muscles
  carinate bird; carinate.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a species of chatterer (Ampelis cedrarum), so named from its frequenting cedar trees; called also cherry bird, Canada robin, and American waxwing.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), an American bird; the cedar bird; so called from its fondness for cherries.

Webster 1913

Chip"ping bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The chippy.

Webster 1913

• noun tropical Africa to Australasia and Polynesia
  Microsorium punctatum.
  

WordNet

• noun gull family; skimmer family; jaeger family; auk family
  

WordNet

• noun a cosmopolitan order of land birds having small heads and short legs with four unwebbed toes
  

WordNet

• noun small European cherry tree closely resembling the American chokecherry
  Prunus padus; hagberry tree; common bird cherry.
  

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• noun chiefly short-legged arboreal nonpasserine birds that nest in holes
  

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• noun birds of the crow family
  

WordNet

• a small European bird (Silvia locustella); called also grasshopper warbler.

Webster 1913

• noun African courser that feeds on insect parasites on crocodiles
  Pluvianus aegyptius.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an African plover (Pluvianus ægypticus) which alights upon the crocodile and devours its insect parasites, even entering its open mouth (according to reliable writers) in pursuit of files, etc.; called also Nile bird. It is the trochilos of ancient writers.

Webster 1913

• noun birds having zygodactyl feet (except for the touracos)
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), one of two or more South African drongo shrikes (Edolius retifer, and E. remifer), believed by the natives to be connected with sorcery.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), an Indian bird (Copsychus saularius), allied to the European robin. The name is also given to other related species.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a small Australian bird (Pardalotus punctatus, family Ampelidæ.). It is black, with white spots.

Webster 1913

• noun small bird; adults talking to children sometimes use these words to refer to small birds
  dickybird; dickeybird; dickey-bird.
  

WordNet

• noun small bird; adults talking to children sometimes use these words to refer to small birds
  dickybird; dickeybird; dickey-bird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the umbrella bird.

Webster 1913

• noun a person who arrives early before others do
  
• noun a person who gets up very early in the morning
  

WordNet

• . See Bird's nest,

Webster 1913

Egg"-bird` noun

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) A species of tern, esp. the sooty tern (Sterna fuliginosa) of the West Indies. In the Bahama Islands the name is applied to the tropic bird, Phaëthon flavirostris.

Webster 1913

• noun huge (to 9 ft.) extinct flightless bird of Madagascar
  aepyornis.
  

WordNet

• noun small European cherry tree closely resembling the American chokecherry
  Prunus padus; hagberry tree; common bird cherry.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the Euoropean little tern (Sterna minuta); called also sea swallow, and hooded tern.

Webster 1913

• noun greenish-yellow Australian oriole feeding chiefly on figs and other fruits
  

WordNet

• noun flightless birds having flat breastbones lacking a keel for attachment of flight muscles: ostriches; cassowaries; emus; moas; rheas; kiwis; elephant birds
  ratite; flightless bird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an Australian bird of the genus Anthornis, allied to the honey eaters.

Webster 1913

• noun birds having keeled breastbones for attachment of flight muscles
  carinate bird; carinate.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an Australian bird (Tropidorhynchus corniculatus), having the head destitute of feathers; called also coldong, leatherhead, pimlico; poor soldier, and four-o'clock. The name is also applied to several other species of the same genus.

Webster 1913

• noun long-billed warm-water seabird with wide wingspan and forked tail
  frigate bird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a web-footed rapacious bird, of the genus Fregata; called also man-of-war bird, and frigate pelican. Two species are known; that of the Southern United States and West Indies is F. aquila. They are remarkable for their long wings and powerful flight. Their food consists of fish which they obtain by robbing gulls, terns, and other birds, of their prey. They are related to the pelicans.

Webster 1913

Gal"ley-bird` noun

Etymology

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The European green woodpecker; also, the spotted woodpecker. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• noun heavy-bodied largely ground-feeding domestic or game birds
  gallinacean.
  

WordNet

• noun a person who deserves to be hanged
  

WordNet

• a person who deserves the gallows. Colloq.

Webster 1913

• noun any bird (as grouse or pheasant) that is hunted for sport
  

WordNet

• any bird commonly shot for food, esp. grouse, partridges, quails, pheasants, wild turkeys, and the shore or wading birds, such as plovers, snipe, woodcock, curlew, and sandpipers. The term is sometimes arbitrarily restricted to birds hunted by sportsmen, with dogs and guns.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the giant fulmar (Ossifraga gigantea); called also Mother Carey's goose, and mollymawk.

Webster 1913

• noun a variety of albatross with black feet
  Diomedea nigripes; goonie; gooney; black-footed albatross; goony.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the European linnet; called also gorse hatcher. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• the dunlin.

Webster 1913

Hu"ia bird`

Etymology

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) A New Zealand starling (Heteralocha acutirostris), remarkable for the great difference in the form and length of the bill in the two sexes, that of the male being sharp and straight, that of the female much longer and strongly curved.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any bird of the family Trochilidæ, of which over one hundred genera are known, including about four hundred species. They are found only in America and are most abundant in the tropics. They are mostly of very small size, and are not for their very brilliant colors and peculiar habit of hovering about flowers while vibrating their wings very rapidly with a humming noise. They feed both upon the nectar of flowers and upon small insects. The common humming bird or ruby-throat of the Eastern United States is Trochilus culubris. Several other species are found in the Western United States. See Calliope, and Ruby-throat.

Webster 1913

• noun shrublet of southwestern United States to Mexico having brilliant scarlet flowers
  Epilobium canum canum; Zauschneria californica; California fuchsia.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a hawk moth. See Hawk moth, under Hawk, the bird.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the frigate bird.

Webster 1913

• noun small deep blue North American bunting
  Passerina cyanea; indigo finch; indigo bunting.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a small North American finch (Cyanospiza cyanea). The male is indigo blue in color. Called also indigo bunting.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a small, shy singing bird (Myadestes sibilons), of St. Vincent Islands.

Webster 1913

• noun a criminal who has been jailed repeatedly
  jailbird; gaolbird.
  

WordNet

• a prisoner; one who has been confined in prison. Slang

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.), See Bird of paradise.

Webster 1913

• noun any of numerous wading birds that frequent mostly seashores and estuaries
  shore bird; limicoline bird; shorebird.
  

WordNet

Ling"-bird` noun

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The European meadow pipit; -- called also titling.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.) the rose-colored starling or pastor of India. See Pastor.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small, short-tailed parrots, or parrakeets, of the genus Agapornis, and allied genera. They are mostly from Africa. Some species are often kept as cage birds, and are celebrated for the affection which they show for their mates.

Webster 1913

Lyre" bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) Any one of two or three species of Australian birds of the genus Menura. The male is remarkable for having the sixteen tail feathers very long and, when spread, arranged in the form of a lyre. The common lyre bird (Menura superba), inhabiting New South Wales, is about the size of a grouse. Its general color is brown, with rufous color on the throat, wings, tail coverts and tail. Called also lyre pheasant and lyre-tail.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the wryneck; so called because it arrives in England at the time when mackerel are in season.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a Mexican humming bird (Iache magica) , having white downy thing tufts.

Webster 1913

Mal*lee" bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) From native name. The leipoa. See Leipoa.

Webster 1913

• noun long-billed warm-water seabird with wide wingspan and forked tail
  frigate bird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), The frigate bird; also applied to the skua gulls, and to the wandering albatross.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), an oriole (Oriolus kundoo), native of India.

Webster 1913

• . The name alludes to the long middle tail feathers. (Zoöl.) (a) A tropic bird. (b) A jager, or skua gull.

Webster 1913

• the secretary bird, from its swiftness.

Webster 1913

Mi"no bird"

Etymology

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) An Asiatic bird (Gracula musica), allied to the starlings. It is black, with a white spot on the wings, and a pair of flat yellow wattles on the head. It is often tamed and taught to pronounce words.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a large European thrush (Turdus viscivorus) which feeds on the berries of the mistletoe; called also mistletoe thrush and missel.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a North American singing bird (Mimus polyglottos), remarkable for its exact imitations of the notes of other birds. Its back is gray; the tail and wings are blackish, with a white patch on each wing; the outer tail feathers are partly white. The name is also applied to other species of the same genus, found in Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the friar bird.

Webster 1913

• noun reddish-brown grouse of upland moors of Great Britain
  moorgame; moorfowl; red grouse; Lagopus scoticus; moorbird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the Canada jayor whisky jack. See Whisky jack.

Webster 1913

• noun large-footed short-winged birds of Australasia; build mounds of decaying vegetation to incubate eggs
  mound bird; scrub fowl; megapode; mound builder.
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) Same as Mound maker (below).

Webster 1913

• noun large-footed short-winged birds of Australasia; build mounds of decaying vegetation to incubate eggs
  mound bird; scrub fowl; megapode; mound builder.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a coly.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the Australian short-tailed petrel (Nectris brevicaudus).

Webster 1913

• noun tropical Asian starlings
  mina; minah; myna bird; myna; mynah.
  

WordNet

• noun tropical Asian starlings
  mina; minah; myna bird; myna; mynah.
  

WordNet

• noun similar to Audubon's warbler
  Dendroica coronata; myrtle warbler.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the Australian night heron (Nycticorax Caledonicus); called also quaker.

Webster 1913

• noun any bird associated with night: owl; nightingale; nighthawk; etc
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The moor hen (Gallinula chloropus). (b) The Manx shearwater (Puffinus Anglorum).

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The wryneck . Prov. Eng. (b) The crocodile bird.

Webster 1913

• noun chiefly arboreal birds especially of the order Coraciiformes
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an Indian finch (Munia punctularia).

Webster 1913

• noun bird of the open seas
  oceanic bird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a tanager of Jamaica (Tanagra zena); so called from its bright orange breast.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a Tasmanian crow shrike (Gymnorhina organicum). It utters discordant notes like those of a hand organ out of tune.

Webster 1913

• noun passerine bird having specialized vocal apparatus
  oscine.
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) See Java sparrow, under Java.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) Same as Bird of paradise. Among the most beautiful species are the superb (Lophorina superba); the magnificent (Diphyllodes magnifica); and the six-shafted paradise bird (Parotia sefilata). The long-billed paradise birds (Epimachinæ) also include some highly ornamental species, as the twelve-wired paradise bird (Seleucides alba), which is black, yellow, and white, with six long breast feathers on each side, ending in long, slender filaments. See Bird of paradise in the Vocabulary.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.) See Whidah.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a New Zealand bird (Prosthemadera Novæseelandiæ) remarkable for its powers of mimicry and its ability to articulate words. Its color is glossy black, with a curious tuft of long, curly, white feathers on each side of the throat. It is often kept as a cage bird.

Webster 1913

• noun perching birds mostly small and living near the ground with feet having 4 toes arranged to allow for gripping the perch; most are songbirds; hatchlings are helpless
  passerine.
  

WordNet

Pea"bod*y bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) An American sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) having a conspicuous white throat. The name is imitative of its note. Called also White-throated sparrow.

Webster 1913

• noun bird of the open seas
  oceanic bird.
  

WordNet

• noun a bird with feet adapted for perching (as on tree branches); this order is now generally abandoned by taxonomists
  percher; Insessores; order Insessores.
  

WordNet

• noun small dun-colored North American flycatcher
  phoebe; Sayornis phoebe.
  

WordNet

• noun any of numerous nonpasserine insectivorous climbing birds usually having strong bills for boring wood
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) (a) A bird found near the Caribbee Islands; so called because its presence indicates to mariners their approach to these islands. Crabb. (b) The black-bellied plover. Local, U.S.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the European bullfinch.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any bird that yields ornamental plumes, especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of Florida (Ardea candidissima).

Webster 1913

• noun large mostly white Australian stork
  jabiru; Xenorhyncus asiaticus; black-necked stork.
  

WordNet

• noun North American annual with red or rose-colored flowers
  Lotus americanus; compass plant; prairie lotus; prairie trefoil.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a toucan.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any bird of the genus Bucco, or family Bucconidæ. They are small birds, usually with dull-colored and loose plumage, and have twelve tail feathers. See Barbet (b).

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the European purple gallinule. See under Gallinule.

Webster 1913

Qua"-bird` noun

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The American night heron. See under Night.

Webster 1913

• noun someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group
  kook; queer duck; odd man out; odd fish; odd fellow.
  

WordNet

• noun large trogon of Central America and South America having golden-green and scarlet plumage
  quetzal.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the yaffle, or green woodpecker. Prov. Eng. The name is also applied to various other birds, as to Saurothera vetula of the West Indies.

Webster 1913

• noun any of numerous carnivorous birds that hunt and kill other animals
  bird of prey; raptor.
  

WordNet

• noun a rare or unique person
  rara avis.
  

WordNet

• noun flightless birds having flat breastbones lacking a keel for attachment of flight muscles: ostriches; cassowaries; emus; moas; rheas; kiwis; elephant birds
  ratite; flightless bird.
  

WordNet

• noun biennial European catchfly having red or pink flowers; sometimes placed in genus Lychnis
  Lychnis dioica; red campion; Silene dioica.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a beautiful Australian bower bird (Sericulus melinus). The male has the head, neck, and large patches on the wings, bright golden yellow, and the rest of the plumage deep velvety black; so called in honor of the Prince of Wales (afterward George IV.), who was Prince Regent in the reign of George III.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) A large hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), native of the East Indies. It has a large hollow hornlike process on the bill. Called also rhinoceros hornbill . See Hornbill. (b) An African beefeater (Buphaga Africana). It alights on the back of the rhinoceros in search of parasitic insects.

Webster 1913

• noun small green-and-bronze bird
  Acanthisitta chloris.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a collective name for numerous species of limicoline birds, such as the sandpipers, plovers, tattlers, and many others; called also shore birds.

Webster 1913

• noun of southeast Australia; male is glossy violet blue; female is light grey-green
  Ptilonorhynchus violaceus; satin bowerbird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an Australian bower bird. Called also satin grackle.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the fieldfare; so called from its harsh cry before rain.

Webster 1913

• noun small fast-running Australian bird resembling a wren and frequenting brush or scrub
  scrubbird; scrub bird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an Australian passerine bird of the family Atrichornithidæ, as Atrichia clamosa; called also brush bird.

Webster 1913

• noun small fast-running Australian bird resembling a wren and frequenting brush or scrub
  scrubbird; scrub bird.
  

WordNet

• noun a bird that frequents coastal waters and the open ocean: gulls; pelicans; gannets; cormorants; albatrosses; petrels; etc.
  seafowl; seabird.
  

WordNet

Sea" bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) Any swimming bird frequenting the sea; a sea fowl.

Webster 1913

• noun large long-legged African bird of prey that feeds on reptiles
  Sagittarius serpentarius.
  

WordNet

• noun small European warbler that breeds among reeds and wedges and winters in Africa
  Acrocephalus schoenobaenus; reedbird; sedge warbler; sedge wren.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the crested screamer. See Screamer.

Webster 1913

• noun any of numerous wading birds that frequent mostly seashores and estuaries
  shore bird; limicoline bird; shorebird.
  

WordNet

• noun any of numerous wading birds that frequent mostly seashores and estuaries
  shore bird; limicoline bird; shorebird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a collective name for the various limicoline birds found on the seashore.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) Popularly, any bird that sings; a song bird . (b) Specifically, any one of the Oscines.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the bobolink; so called because the male, in the breeding season, is black and white, like a skunk.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a weaver bird which builds composite nests. See Republican, n., 3. (b).

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any singing bird; one of the Oscines.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) See Shore birds, under Shore.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small South American singing birds of the genera Coereba, Dacnis, and allied genera belonging to the family Coerebidæ. They are allied to the honey eaters.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the hyacinthine, or purple, gallinule. See Illust. under Gallinule.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the wryneck. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a bird of paradise (Paradisæa, ∨ Lophorina, superba) having the scapulars erectile, and forming a large ornamental tuft on each shoulder, and a large gorget of brilliant feathers on the breast. The color is deep violet, or nearly black, with brilliant green reflections. The gorget is bright metallic green.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a ploverlike bird of the genus Aphriza, allied to the turnstone.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of small Asiatic and East Indian singing birds belonging to Orthotomus, Prinia, and allied genera. They are noted for the skill with which they sew leaves together to form nests. The common Indian species are O. longicauda, which has the back, scapulars, and upper tail coverts yellowish green, and the under parts white; and the golden-headed tailor bird (O. coronatus), which has the top of the head golden yellow and the back and wings pale olive-green.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a Guinea fowl.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the American goldfinch, or yellow-bird (Spinus tristis); so called on account of its feeding on the seeds of thistles. See Illust. under Goldfinch.

Webster 1913

• to receive private communication. Colloq. Shak.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a weaver bird of the East Indies and India: so called from its fondness for the juice of the palm.

Webster 1913

• noun mostly white web-footed tropical seabird often found far from land
  boatswain bird; tropicbird.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), any one of three species of oceanic belonging to the genus Phaëthon, found chiefly in tropical seas. They are mostly white, and have two central tail feathers very long and slender. The yellow-billed tropic bird. Phaëthon flavirostris (called also boatswain), is found on the Atlantic coast of America, and is common at the Bermudas, where it breeds.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the wryneck. So called because it erects and ruffles the feathers of its neck when disturbed. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• noun large American birds that characteristically catch insects on the wing
  flycatcher; tyrant flycatcher; New World flycatcher.
  

WordNet

• noun black tropical American bird having a large overhanging crest and long feathered wattle
  Cephalopterus ornatus.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a South American bird (Cephalopterus ornatus) of the family Cotingidæ. It is black, with a large handsome crest consisting of a mass of soft, glossy blue feathers curved outward at the tips. It also has a cervical plume consisting of a long, cylindrical dermal process covered with soft hairy feathers. Called also dragoon bird.

Webster 1913

• noun any of many long-legged birds that wade in water in search of food
  wader.
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) See Wader, 2.

Webster 1913

• noun freshwater aquatic bird
  waterfowl; waterbird.
  

WordNet

Wa"ter bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) Any aquatic bird; a water fowl.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of Asiatic, Fast Indian, and African birds belonging to Ploceus and allied genera of the family Ploceidæ. Weaver birds resemble finches and sparrows in size, colors, and shape of the bill. They construct pensile nests composed of interlaced grass and other similar materials. In some of the species the nest is retort-shaped, with the opening at the bottom of the tube.

Webster 1913

Weet"-bird` noun

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The wryneck; -- so called from its cry. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of large Antarctic petrels which follow whaling vessels, to feed on the blubber and floating oil; especially, Prion turtur (called also blue petrel), and Pseudoprion desolatus. (b) The turnstone; so called because it lives on the carcasses of whales. Canada

Webster 1913

Wheat"sel bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The male of the chaffinch. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

Whid"ah bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of finchlike birds belonging to the genus Vidua, native of Asia and Africa. In the breeding season the male has very long, drooping tail feathers. Called also vida finch, whidah finch, whydah bird, whydah finch, widow bird, and widow finch. ✍ Some of the species are often kept as cage birds, especially Vidua paradisea, which is dark brownish above, pale buff beneath, with a reddish collar around the neck.

Webster 1913

Whyd"ah bird`, Whyd"ah finch` (Also<

• Whydah bird
• Whydah finch

)

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) The whidah bird.

Webster 1913

• noun mostly black African weaverbird
  whidah; whydah.
  

WordNet

Wid"ow bird`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) See Whidan bird.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the apteryx.

Webster 1913

• noun a military recruit who is assigned menial tasks
  yardbird.
  
• noun a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
  inmate; convict; yardbird; con.
  

WordNet

• a plant, the Monotropa hypopitys.

Webster 1913

• noun a bird that is still young
  

WordNet