weaverbird

American  

[wee-ver-burd] / ˈwi vərˌbɜrd /

noun

1. any of numerous African and Asian finchlike birds of the family Ploceidae, noted for their elaborately woven nests and colonial habits.

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weaverbird British  

/ ˈwiːvəˌbɜːd /

noun

1. any small Old World passerine songbird of the chiefly African family Ploceidae, having a short thick bill and a dull plumage and building covered nests: includes the house sparrow and whydahs

2. Also called: weaver finch.  any similar bird of the family Estrilidae, of warm regions of the Old World: includes the waxbills, grassfinches, and Java sparrow

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Etymology

Origin of weaverbird

First recorded in 1820–30; weaver + bird

Example Sentences

A weaverbird, yellow as police tape, flitted about, building a nest.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 20, 2016

I gazed at its marshes and rice fields, at kingfishers hovering to dive, cattle egrets dotting the landscape with white, and weaverbird nests dangling from trees like Christmas decorations.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo