bluebird

American  

[bloo-burd] / ˈbluˌbɜrd /

noun

bluebirds plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bluebirds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bluebird

First recorded in 1680–90; blue + bird

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bluebird bluebirds

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

The blue of the bluebird came to the attention of ETH researchers from the Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials led by former ETH Professor Eric Dufresne.

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And the darling bluebird of happiness has been replaced by a logo that looks like it belongs on a stormtrooper's helmet in a bad science-fiction dystopia.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

At a stoplight, my gaze will magnetically travel north to the Santa Monica Mountains blanketed in a golden charred brown, and I travel back to hiking those trails, surrounded by sage, lavender and flitting bluebirds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025

I don’t like house sparrows when I see them near bluebirds.

From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2025

Secondary cavity nesters include other birds — bluebirds, tree swallows, various wrens and owls, and even wood ducks — as well as flying squirrels, bats and more.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024

Blue jays, eastern bluebirds, and indigo buntings are all blue birds, but the rich azure of an indigo bunting is nothing like the softer, sky blue of a jay.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 7, 2023

Mae Mobley point at the bluebirds getting ready for winter, twittering in the little gray fountain.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett