cowbird

[ kou-burd ]

/ ˈkaʊˌbɜrd /

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noun

any of several New World blackbirds of the genus Molothrus, especially M. ater, of North America, that accompany herds of cattle.

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Origin of cowbird

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; cow¹ + bird

Words nearby cowbird

cow bail, cowbane, cowbell, cowberry, cowbind, cowbird, cowboy, cowboy boot, cowboy hat, cowboys and Indians, cowboy up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cowbird in a sentence

And then Jolly Robin would feel ashamed that he had even thought of being so cruel to an infant bird, even if he was a Cowbird.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
But Uncle Wiggily took his crutch, and tickled the cowbird so that she sneezed, and had to fly away without doing any harm.
Uncle Wiggily's Travels|Howard R. Garis
And just then there was a fluttering and a rustling in the bushes, and the bad cowbird came flying past.
Uncle Wiggily's Travels|Howard R. Garis
This is one of the favorite nests in which the Cowbird deposits its eggs.
Western Bird Guide|Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed, Harry F. Harvey, and Rex I. Brasher

Two eggs of the cowbird and two or three of the towhee in a nest are common.
Birds and all Nature, Vol. VI, No. 4, November 1899|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cowbird

cowbird

/ (ˈkaʊˌbɜːd) /

noun

any of various American orioles of the genera Molothrus, Tangavius, etc, esp M. ater (common or brown-headed cowbird). They have a dark plumage and short bill

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