catbird

See also: cat bird

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From cat +‎ bird, because its cry is said to resemble that of a cat.

Pronunciation

Noun

catbird (plural catbirds)

  1. An American passerine bird of the genera Dumetella and Melanoptila.
    • 1832, Sharon Turner, The Sacred History of the World:
      The catbird’s note exactly resembles the voice of a kitten, that a stranger to it would instantly conclude that such an animal "had got bewildered in the branches".
    • 1967, William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Vintage, published 2004, page 200:
      I recall a catbird high in the water oak above, swinging like a rag amid the branches, jabbering and screeching [...].
  2. Any of four species of Australasian bowerbirds of the genera Ailuroedus and Scenopoeetes.
    • 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 185:
      The cat bird had a forlorn cry, like a whimpering child or the animal it is named for.
  3. A babbler-like bird from eastern Africa, Parophasma galinieri.

Derived terms

See also

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