bluebird

American  

[bloo-burd] / ˈbluˌbɜrd /

noun

1. any of several small North American songbirds of the genus Sialia, having predominantly blue plumage, as the eastern S. sialis, which has a blue back and a reddish-brown breast.

2. fairy bluebird.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a member of Camp Fire, Inc., who is between the ages of six and eight.

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bluebird British  

/ ˈbluːˌbɜːd /

noun

1. any North American songbird of the genus Sialia , having a blue or partly blue plumage: subfamily Turdinae (thrushes)

2. any songbird of the genus Irena , of S and SE Asia, having a blue-and-black plumage: family Irenidae

3. any of various other birds having a blue plumage

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Etymology

Origin of bluebird

First recorded in 1680–90; blue + bird

Example Sentences

He didn’t have much time to linger, so he headed back up the hill, stopping to admire a wooden sign with a rainbow and a bluebird.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2024

When FDA announced its decision last week, it also approved another sickle cell therapy— Lyfgenia, from maker bluebird bio—that adds a gene for adult hemoglobin to similar stem cells.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 13, 2023

They have now succeeded with a new method: they have developed a material that exhibits the same structural design of the bluebird feathers, while additionally offering potential for practical applications thanks to its nanonetworks.

From Science Daily • Dec. 1, 2023

And the darling bluebird of happiness has been replaced by a logo that looks like it belongs on a stormtrooper's helmet in a bad science-fiction dystopia.

From Salon • Jul. 26, 2023

The bluebird had sat on his shoulder, the story went, and warned him that he was about to step in a pile of goose poop.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega