songbird

noun

song·​bird ˈsȯŋ-ˌbərd How to pronounce songbird (audio)
1
a
: a bird that utters a succession of musical tones
b
: an oscine bird
2
: a female singer

Examples of songbird in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web American robins, the state of Michigan's official bird, are one of the larger songbirds and are a part of the thrush family, which also includes the Eastern Bluebird and the Western Bluebird. Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024 Feral and free-roaming cats can be a neighborhood nuisance and a bane for wildlife populations, with estimates that billions of songbirds have fallen prey to cats each year. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024 The problem is most acute during the spring and fall migrations and mainly affects small migratory songbirds. Tracey Tully, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Wilson’s warbler Another common spring migrator in San Diego is the Wilson’s warbler, a songbird that passes through San Diego County on its route from Mexico and Central America to its northern breeding grounds. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Mason applauded the approach taken by wildlife gardener and part-time chicken-keeper Anne Berry of Chapel Hill, who has moved her songbird feeders away from the coop to the other side of her property as a precaution. Renee Elder, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Small songbirds feed during the day and migrate at night to avoid air turbulence and predators. Todd Richmond, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2023 In the lens' favor, its focus speed is still fast enough for songbirds and other backyard fauna, as well as small planes from a local airport. PCMAG, 1 Feb. 2024 The canyon is the home of a variety of wildlife, such as bighorn sheep, songbirds, hawks, redband trout and river otters. Pete Zimowsky, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'songbird.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of songbird was in 1573

Dictionary Entries Near songbird

Cite this Entry

“Songbird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/songbird. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

songbird

noun
song·​bird -ˌbərd How to pronounce songbird (audio)
: a bird that utters a series of musical tones

More from Merriam-Webster on songbird

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