Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various American flycatchers of the genus Tyrannus, especially T. tyrannus.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A tyrant flycatcher, Tyrannus carolinensis, abundant in the United States (also called bee-martin), or some other species of the same genus, as the gray kingbird, Tyrannus dominicensis.
- n. Any bird of the family Tyrannidæ; any tyrant flycatcher.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) A small American bird (Tyrannus tyrannus, or Tyrannus Carolinensis), noted for its courage in attacking larger birds, even hawks and eagles, especially when they approach its nest in the breeding season. It is a typical tyrant flycatcher, taking various insects upon the wing. It is dark ash above, and blackish on the bead and tail. The quills and wing coverts are whitish at the edges. It is white beneath, with a white terminal band on the tail. The feathers on the head of the adults show a bright orange basal spot when erected. Called also
bee bird , andbee martin . Several Southern and Western species of Tyrannus are also called king birds. - n. The king tody. See under King.
WordNet 3.0
- n. large American flycatcher
Etymologies
- king + bird (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The kingbird is the best dressed member of the family, but he is a braggart; and, though always snubbing his neighbors, is an arrant coward, and shows the white feather at the slightest display of pluck in his antagonist.”
In the Catskills Selections from the Writings of John Burroughs
“I saw a kingbird on a telephone wire as I pedaled out and a redwinged blackbird as I rode back.”
“Mid morning, my first eastern kingbird of the season perched on a piece of driftwood behind me and made his presence known.”
“Each puddle seemed to be functioning as a bird bath, with a different species in each puddle: gray catbird, eastern kingbird, brown thrasher, common grackle, American goldfinch, American robin, several species of sparrow.”
“Later on I watch a piping plover harassing and attacking a common grackle and then an eastern kingbird.”
“I have observed mockingbirds terrorize even larger groups of starlings, so I have no doubt that a kingbird could do it, too.”
“Saw my first eastern kingbird of the season on Sunday at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI.”
“The flycatchers and vireos now appear in force -- little hunters of insects clad in leafy greens and browns, with now and then a touch of brightness -- as in the yellow-throated vireo or in the crest of the kingbird.”
“The kingbird builds an untidy nest in an apple tree.”
“The flycatchers are well represented in the Park, there being no fewer than five species; the least flycatcher, wood pewee, phoebe, crested flycatcher, and kingbird.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘kingbird’.
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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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Bird birds
Birds that have the word bird in their names. (This list also includes some general descriptions of certain kinds of birds - wading birds, water birds, &c.) For other bird-related fun (especially p...
blackbird, bluebird, bird of paradise, tropicbird, boatswain bird, secretary bird, millerbird, frigatebird, surfbird, kingbird, catbird, bellbird and 69 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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Aves
robin, thrush, halcyon, greenfinch, yellowhammer, passer, blue tit, sparrow, finch, cardinal, nightingale, skylark and 19 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for kingbird.
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