kingbird

[ king-burd ]

/ ˈkɪŋˌbɜrd /

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noun

any of several American tyrant flycatchers of the genus Tyrannus, especially T. tyrannus(eastern kingbird ), of North America, known for their pugnacious disposition toward predators.

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Also called bee martin.

Origin of kingbird

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; king + bird

Words nearby kingbird

kinetoscope, kinetosis, kinfolk, king, king bee, kingbird, kingbolt, King Charles spaniel, king closer, king cobra, King Cotton

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

How to use kingbird in a sentence

Tyrannus melancholicus chloronotus Berlepsch: Tropical Kingbird.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
I have heard the hairbird, and the note of the kingbird; and the ruffed grouse frequently drums at night.
A Year in the Fields|John Burroughs
The wild lettuce yields down for the humming-bird's nest, and the flowers of whiteweed are used by the kingbird and cedar-bird.
A Year in the Fields|John Burroughs
His harsh, shrill call, louder and more disagreeable than the kingbird's, cannot but rasp his ears as it does ours.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan

The kingbird feeds on beetles, canker-worms, and winged insects, with an occasional dessert of berries.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan

British Dictionary definitions for kingbird

kingbird

/ (ˈkɪŋˌbɜːd) /

noun

any of several large American flycatchers of the genus Tyrannus, esp T. tyrannus (eastern kingbird or bee martin)

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