blue grosbeak

American  

noun

1. a grosbeak, Guiraca caerulea, of the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, the male of which is blue with two rusty bars on each wing.

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Etymology

Origin of blue grosbeak

An Americanism dating back to 1720–30

Example Sentences

Other new breeding species include the eastern meadowlark, known for its sharp call; the blue grosbeak, a striking blue relative of the cardinal; and the bobolink, a bumblebee-colored blackbird that migrates 12,500 miles annually.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2016

Before me, in the leafy top of an oak sapling, sat a blue grosbeak.

From A Florida Sketch-Book by Torrey, Bradford

But no matter; the bird was a blue grosbeak, for the sufficient reason that it could not be anything else.

From A Florida Sketch-Book by Torrey, Bradford

I quickened my steps, and to my delight the singer proved to be a blue grosbeak.

From A Florida Sketch-Book by Torrey, Bradford

Its original, the blue grosbeak, is an uncertain wanderer from the south, as the pine grosbeak is from the north.

From Locusts and Wild Honey by Burroughs, John