brolga

American

[brol-guh] / ˈbrɒl gə /

noun

a large Australian crane, Grus rubicunda, with silvery-gray plumage and a red patch on the head, noted for its elaborate courtship dance.

brolga British

/ ˈbrɒlɡə /

noun

Also called: Australian crane. native companion. a large grey Australian crane, Grus rubicunda , having a red-and-green head and a trumpeting call

"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 brolga

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Kamilaroi or Yuwaalaraay (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken near Lightning Ridge, northern New South Wales) burralga

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.

The brolga, or native companion, is a handsome Australian bird of the crane family.

From Peeps At Many Lands: Australia by Spence, Percy F. S. (Percy Frederick Seaton)

The brolga has a taste for dancing; flocks of this bird may be seen solemnly going through quadrilles and lancers—of their own invention—on the plains.

From Peeps At Many Lands: Australia by Spence, Percy F. S. (Percy Frederick Seaton)

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