catbird
nounUK /ˈkatbɜːd/ · US /ˈkatbɝd/
Etymology From cat + bird, because its cry is said to resemble that of a cat.
1
An American passerine bird of the genera Dumetella and Melanoptila.
- 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".1832, Sharon Turner, The Sacred History of the World:
- I recall a catbird high in the water oak above, swinging like a rag amid the branches, jabbering and screeching [...].1967, William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Vintage, published 2004, page 200:
2
Any of four species of Australasian bowerbirds of the genera Ailuroedus and Scenopoeetes.
- The cat bird had a forlorn cry, like a whimpering child or the animal it is named for.1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 185:
3
A babbler-like bird from eastern Africa, Parophasma galinieri.
- Derived terms
- catbird grape, catbird seat, gray catbird
- Related terms
- Dumetella carolinensis, Melanoptila glabrirostris, Ailuroedus, Scenopoeetes, Parophasma galinieri