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.
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bird of paradise
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bird-of-paradise
bird-of-paradisenounany of several plants of the genus Strelitzia, native to southern Africa, especially S. reginae, having a large, showy orange and blue inflorescence.
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Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradisenounthe constellation Apus.
bird of paradise
1 Americannoun
bird-of-paradise
2
American
[burd-uhv-par-uh-dahys, -dahyz]
/ ˈbɜrd əvˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz /
noun
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birds-of-paradise
plural
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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.
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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.
bird of paradise
British
noun
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any songbird of the family Paradisaeidae of New Guinea and neighbouring regions, the males of which have brilliantly coloured ornate plumage
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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
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
Nicole recommended California live oak and toyon, and even some non-natives, including bird of paradise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025
As regional emblems go, only the palm tree seems to rival the bird of paradise in popularity.
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
She walks past the pawpaw tree, past the rows of gangly bird of paradise, past the house of her neighbor, Ilda Limon, and down a sandy path skirting the beach.
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
If you’re lucky, your bird-of-paradise may give you the rare Seattle gift of a flower by summer’s end.
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
The bird-of-paradise was threatened with extinction on account of the demand for its plumes for women’s hats.
From Peeps At Many Lands: Australia by Percy F. S. (Percy Frederick Seaton) Spence
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
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
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
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
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