catbird
catbird · catbirds
An American passerine bird of the genera Dumetella and MelanoptilaAn American passerine bird of the genera Dumetella and Melanoptila.
UK/ˈkatbɜːd/US/ˈkatbɝd/
Meaning
3 sensesAn American passerine bird of the genera Dumetella and Melanoptila.
Any of four species of Australasian bowerbirds of the genera Ailuroedus and Scenopoeetes.
A babbler-like bird from eastern Africa, Parophasma galinieri.
More definitions
- North American songbird whose call resembles a cat's mewing
- any of various birds of the Australian region whose males build ornamented structures resembling bowers in order to attract females
Origin
From cat + bird, because its cry is said to resemble that of a cat.From cat + bird, because its cry is said to resemble that of a cat.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: catbirdsSynonyms
4 synonymsClose in meaning
- North American songbird whose call resembles a cat's mewing:grey catbirdgray catbirdDumetella carolinensis
- any of various birds of the Australian region whose males build ornamented structures resembling bowers in order to attract females:bowerbird