bellbird

American

[bel-burd] / ˈbɛlˌbɜrd /

Or bell bird

noun

any of several birds having a loud bell-like cry, especially Anthornis melanura, a honey eater of New Zealand, and Procnias tricarunculata three-wattled bellbird of Central America.

bellbird British

/ ˈbɛlˌbɜːd /

noun

any of several tropical American passerine birds of the genus Procnias having a bell-like call: family Cotingidae (cotingas)
either of two other birds with a bell-like call: an Australian flycatcher, Oreoica gutturalis ( crested bellbird ), or a New Zealand honeyeater, Anthornis melanura

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bellbird

First recorded in 1795–1805; bell ¹ + bird

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Josh’s Goffin: Are football games really as loud as the white bellbird and Deep Purple?

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2020

The white bellbird — one of four bellbird species in South and Central America — is a favorite among birders in Brazil.

From Fox News • Oct. 22, 2019

When he wasn’t cycling, he was creating an enormous recycled-art sculpture of the threatened three-wattled bellbird to parade through town in hopes of inciting environmental awareness.

From Slate • Aug. 8, 2017

Nearly 3,000 birds and animals are available for scrutiny at the Bronx Zoo, which boasts the only mossy-throated bellbird in captivity.

From Time Magazine Archive

The two best performers were our old friend the false bellbird, with its series of ringing whistles, and a shy, attractive ant-thrush.

From Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Roosevelt, Theodore

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023