redbird

[ red-burd ]

noun

1. any of various birds having red plumage, especially the northern cardinal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of redbird¹

First recorded in 1660–70; red ¹ + bird

Example Sentences

Watching with delight in spring as a male redbird presents his mate with an edible demonstration of his “fitness as a partner,” she comments, “In the avian world, a grub is an engagement ring.”

From Los Angeles Times

J. Drew Lanham, a wildlife ecologist at Clemson University who grew up in South Carolina, fondly remembered learning his local birds by the nicknames his grandmother taught him: redbirds, bee-martins, rain crows.

From New York Times

If I see a rat snake climbing the cherry laurel, I’m obliged to let the snake go on its way, knowing it will eat the baby redbirds hidden in a nest deep in the greenery.

From New York Times

Early in the morning, before the sun had thrown its first ray or the redbirds chirped their first note, all four children were gathered in the boys’ bedroom.

From Literature

One room had great, big magnolias with redbirds, another had daylilies.

From Washington Times