songbird

American  

[sawng-burd, song-] / ˈsɔŋˌbɜrd, ˈsɒŋ- /

noun

1. a bird that sings.

2. any passerine bird of the suborder Oscines.

3. Slang. a woman vocalist.

---

songbird British  

/ ˈsɒŋˌbɜːd /

noun

1. any passerine bird of the suborder Oscines, having highly developed vocal organs and, in most, a musical call

2. any bird having a musical call

---

Etymology

Origin of songbird

First recorded in 1765–75; song + bird

Example Sentences

For example, researchers can randomly assign plots of forest to receive nest boxes in order to test whether they help songbird populations grow.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

As a small-scale songbird rehabilitator I am not equipped, for instance, to take on a pileated woodpecker, which can smash its way out of any enclosure not made of steel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Fortunately, these bats pose no threat to songbird populations.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

The yellow-rumped warbler is a migratory songbird that spends its winters in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025

“Maysilee Donner. Her parents owned the sweetshop. They gave me her songbird after. A canary.”

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins