Jump To:

• bird of paradise
  bird of paradise

  noun

  any of several passerine birds of the family Paradisaeidae, of New Guinea and adjacent islands, the males of which have ornate, colorful plumage.
• bird-of-paradise
  bird-of-paradise

  noun

  any of several plants of the genus Strelitzia, native to southern Africa, especially S. reginae, having a large, showy orange and blue inflorescence.
• Bird of Paradise
  Bird of Paradise

  noun

  the constellation Apus.

bird of paradise

¹ American  

noun

1. any of several passerine birds of the family Paradisaeidae, of New Guinea and adjacent islands, the males of which have ornate, colorful plumage.

---

bird-of-paradise ² American  

[burd-uhv-par-uh-dahys, -dahyz] / ˈbɜrd əvˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz /

noun

• birds-of-paradise
  plural

1. Also called bird-of-paradise flower. any of several plants of the genus Strelitzia, native to southern Africa, especially S. reginae, having a large, showy orange and blue inflorescence.

2. a small tree or shrub, Caesalpinia (Poinciana ) gilliesii, native to South America, having featherlike leaves and showy yellow flowers with red stamens.

---

Bird of Paradise ³ American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. the constellation Apus.

---

bird of paradise British  

noun

1. any songbird of the family Paradisaeidae of New Guinea and neighbouring regions, the males of which have brilliantly coloured ornate plumage

2. any of various banana-like plants of the genus Strelitzia , esp S. reginae , that are native to tropical southern Africa and South America and have purple bracts and large orange or yellow flowers resembling birds' heads: family Strelitziaceae

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birds-of-paradise
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of bird of paradise¹

First recorded in 1600–10

Origin of bird-of-paradise²

First recorded in 1880–85

Origin of Bird of Paradise³

First recorded in 1650–60

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bird of paradise bird-of-paradise Bird of Paradise birds-of-paradise

One Swiss visitor recorded Elizabeth as “most lavishly attired in a gown of pure white satin, gold-embroidered, with a whole bird of paradise for panache, set forward on her head studded with costly jewels.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

This was how the bird of paradise first made itself known to me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2024

Over the weekend, a middle school teacher, Kahealani David, 41, and her 12-year-old daughter, Vaihere, brought bird of paradise flowers as an offering to leave on the cooled lava from previous eruptions.

From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2022

The only decorations were a few plants he’d picked up at Trader Joe’s — a bird of paradise, two money trees — along with a white board that was blank as the decor.

From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2022

Then she flies past the rows of gangly bird of paradise, past the pawpaw tree with ripening fruit, and loses a sandal taking the three front steps in an inelegant leap.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

A mention of the illustrious bird-of-paradise flower elicits coos and awe from the women.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

On the other hand, high-light plants, especially flowering ones like hibiscus, bird-of-paradise or heat-lovers like basil, want to go in the sun, but not immediately.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

But on examining a black feather from a bird-of-paradise under a microscope, “I almost fell out of my chair.”

From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2019

It wasn’t a photo of a bird-of-paradise or a puffin.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 24, 2019

She gave him very minute directions, accompanied with a bird-of-paradise pattern.

From A Romance of the Republic by Lydia Maria Francis Child

This Bird of Paradise unisex robe is billed as a scene stealer, and it’s easy to see why.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

Albert F. Hegenberger arrived at Wheeler Field in Hawaii aboard the Bird of Paradise, an Atlantic-Fokker C-2, after flying 2,400 miles from Oakland, California, in 25 hours, 50 minutes.

From US News ● Jun. 29, 2015

His novelty songs, including his biggest hit “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” about good and bad luck, earned him a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 3, 2015

To understand why he was such an extraordinary figure, just read The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Paradise, a Narrative of Travel with Studies of Man and Nature.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 11, 2013

The women checked into the Bird of Paradise Motel across from the pueblo-style building that housed the Lovelace Clinic on Gibson Boulevard.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

Think of the bright elastic throats of anole lizards, the Fabergé abdomens of peacock spiders and the curling, iridescent, ludicrously long feathers of birds-of-paradise.

From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2019

Found only in New Guinea and parts of Australia, birds-of-paradise are a case study in the power of evolution.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2013

In 2004, Cornell University scientist Edwin Scholes and National Geographic photographer Tim Laman set out to complete the first comprehensive study of all birds-of-paradise.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2013

As for the future, Laman and Scholes plan to keep up their birds-of-paradise investigations, especially their documentation of courtship displays that they haven’t yet been able to record in full.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2013

Most of it was hidden behind palms and blooming birds-of-paradise.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---