birdman

American  

[burd-man, -muhn] / ˈbɜrdˌmæn, -mən /

noun

birdmen plural

1. an ornithologist.

2. a bird watcher.

3. a person who keeps or tends birds.

4. a person who hunts birds for food or sport; fowler.

5. Informal. aviator.

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birdman British  

/ -mən, ˈbɜːdˌmæn /

noun

1. a man concerned with birds, such as a fowler or ornithologist

2. a man who attempts to fly using his own muscle power

3. an obsolete informal name for airman

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birdmen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of birdman

First recorded in 1690–1700; bird + man

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birdman birdmen

To be taken seriously, a birdman needed a large collection of taxidermied birds, skins and eggs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

Nearby is an ancient copper plate of a birdman displayed as an example of creativity.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 27, 2022

Finally, we perhaps, got some further insight into who the birdman might be or might be working for, based on the fact that he let Ray live.

From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2015

Or a birdman, soaring through the canyons of downtown Chicago.

From Chicago Tribune ● Jun. 29, 2011

I could sail a skiff, wrangle a lobster, save a birdman from starving to death.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

He presides as an unofficial spokesman for the birdmen, at times to the chagrin of his peers who are reluctant to expose their passion to criticism.

From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2015

Within a complex of mirrors and Plexiglas that nearly fills the main gallery, werewolves and birdmen perform nightmarish surgeries and excavations atop pits of plaster and puddles of gooey resin.

From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2014

Photograph: Courtesy Galerie Kadel Willborn and Galleria Raffaella Cortese With moonlit locations and a cast of characters including Anubis, birdmen and fauns, Mathilde Rosier's theatrical works always set the scene for some long-forgotten rite.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 18, 2011

I'd say the birdmen were a tougher sell.

From Chicago Tribune ● Jun. 29, 2011

That exhibition of what the birdmen of to-day call real flying was a revelation to them.

From The Brighton Boys with the Flying Corps by Driscoll, James R. [pseud.]