Catbird

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈkatbəːd/

Alternative forms

• cat bird

Origin

From cat + bird, because its cry is said to resemble that of a cat.

Full definition of catbird

Noun

1. Either of two species of American mockingbird relatives, the grey catbird, , and the black catbird, .
• 1832, Sharon Turner, The Sacred History of the World:The catbird’s note exactly resembles the voice of a kitten, that a stranger to it would instantly conclude that such an animal "had got bewildered in the branches".
• 1967, William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Vintage 2004, p. 200:I recall a catbird high in the water oak above, swinging like a rag amid the branches, jabbering and screeching ....
2. Any of four species of Australasian bowerbirds of the genera Ailuroedus and .
• 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber 2003, p. 185:The cat bird had a forlorn cry, like a whimpering child or the animal it is named for.
3. A babbler-like bird from eastern Africa, .