Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A European bird (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) having a short thick bill and in the male a red breast, blue-gray back, and black head, wings, and tail.
- n. Any of several similar finches.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A very common oscine passerine bird of Europe, Pyrrhula vulgaris; a kind of finch of the family Fringillidæ, with a very short, stout, turgid bill, which, like the crown, is black, and a body bluish above, and, in the male, tile-red below: a favorite cage-bird, easily taught to sing a variety of notes. The name is extended to other species of the same genus, and also to those of some related genera.
- n. In England, a strong fence, or a hedge allowed to grow high enough to impede hunters, and much used as a test of skill in steeplechasing.
- n. This name is applied locally to many very different birds, as the pine-grosbeak, Pinicola enueleator; the house-finch, Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis; the black-breasted plover, Charadrius squatarola; the goldeneye Glaucionetta clangula americana; etc.
Wiktionary
- n. Any of various Old World finches in the genus Pyrrhula. They are Passerine birds with thick bills.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) A bird of the genus Pyrrhula and other related genera, especially the Pyrrhula vulgaris or Pyrrhula rubicilla, a bird of Europe allied to the grosbeak, having the breast, cheeks, and neck, red.
WordNet 3.0
- n. common European finch mostly black and white with red throat and breast
- n. United States architect who designed the Capitol Building in Washington which served as a model for state capitols throughout the United States (1763-1844)
Etymologies
- bull + finch (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The bullfinch is a native of the northern countries of Europe, occurring in Italy and other southern parts only as a winter visitor.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary"
“This is the universal "stake and bond" hedge of the shires, impenetrable to cattle, unbreakable, and imperishable, because the half-cut bonds, the stakes, and the small stuff all shoot again, and in a few years make the famous "bullfinch" with stake and bond below, and a tall mass of interlacing thorns and small stuff above.”
“The bullfinch is a homely little bird, almost as domestic as the robin; they just stay here, isn't that it? ”
“Three endemic birds are the Elfin-woods warbler (Dendroica angelae), Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata), and Puerto Rican bullfinch (Loxigilla portoricensis).”
“Cham of Tartary themselves, contended to load me with gifts — doth he think I am to abide in this old castle like a bullfinch in a cage, fain to sing as oft as he chooses to whistle, and all for seed and water?”
“The Eastern Himalaya EBA, which also overlaps with part of the Indo-Burma Hotspot, has nearly 20 endemic species, including four that are fully endemic to the Himalayas: the chestnut-breasted partridge (Arborophila mandellii, VU) and rusty-throated wren babbler (Spelaeornis badeigularis, VU), plus the white-throated tit (Aegithalos niveogularis) and orange bullfinch (Pyrrhula aurantiaca).”
“These ruminations were interrupted by a call down stairs to see a learned bullfinch.”
“At night, when she returned to her own room from the play, she saw the little bullfinch, reposing in a superb cage, upon her table.”
“The bullfinch had gone far, but the draft seemed to have riveted the persuasion.”
“A European Union-funded program was initiated by the local forestry service in 1995 to restore and expand laurel forests in an effort to increase the population of the Azores bullfinch; the laurel forest around the Pico da Vara summit was also designated a Natural Forest Reserve.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘bullfinch’.
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birds
birds with singular names from
at least 9 English dictionariesaasvogel, aberdevine, accentor, accipiter, aepyornis, agami, albatross, alcatras, alcid, alcidine, amadavat, amokura and 1056 more...
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Animal Identity Crisis
Creatures that are described in terms of other animals. Usual rules apply: look at the entries and you'll get the hang of it :-) I could say 'no madeupicals' but, jeeperz, I'd have to put myself on...
squirrel fish, birddog, whale shark, leopard seal, rhinoceros beetle, parrotfish, lion tamarin, bumblebee bat, cow sharks, tiger moth, dogfish, smoothhound shark and 140 more...
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More Bird Wirds: North America
Birds endemic to the United States and/or North America.
toucan, peacock, weaver, bullfinch, redpoll, siskin, crossbill, finch, rosy-finch, oriole, cowbird, blackbird and 213 more...
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Compounds That Look Freakish
You know who you are, freakish compounds. Though very useful, some of these words just don't seem right together--or, their meanings are so far from what the two (or more) component words suggest t...
nightjar, bullfinch, grassquit, bananaquit, ovenbird, waxwing, stonechat, wheatear, bushtit, wrentit, starthroat, godwit and 158 more...
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Aves
robin, thrush, halcyon, greenfinch, yellowhammer, passer, blue tit, sparrow, finch, cardinal, nightingale, skylark and 34 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for bullfinch.
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