catbird

Thân thiện

A catbird sings from a branch in the garden.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A North American songbird (Dumetella carolinensis) whose call resembles the mewing of a cat.
   • Any of various birds of the Australian region (family Ptilonorhynchidae) whose males build and decorate elaborate structures (called bowers) to attract females.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • We heard the distinctive call of a catbird from the thicket.
  • The gray catbird is a common summer visitor to this area.
  • The male satin bowerbird, a type of catbird, collects blue objects to decorate its bower.

Advanced Usage

• "To be in the catbird seat": (Idiom) To be in a position of advantage, power, or control. This idiom is famously associated with American sportscaster Red Barber and later used by author James Thurber.
  • With their main competitor failing, our company is now in the catbird seat.

Variants and Related Words

• Gray catbird (): The specific species of North American catbird.
• Bowerbird: A more common general name for the Australian catbirds known for their bower-building behavior.
• Bower: The elaborate, decorated structure built by male bowerbirds (Australian catbirds) to attract mates.

Synonyms

• (For the North American bird) Gray catbird, .
• (For the Australian birds) Bowerbird.

Related Idioms

• In the catbird seat: As described in Advanced Usage, this is the primary idiom associated with the word.

Học thuật

Noun

1. North American songbird whose call resembles a cat's mewing
2. any of various birds of the Australian region whose males build ornamented structures resembling bowers in order to attract females

Từ đồng nghĩa

• grey catbird
• gray catbird
• Dumetella carolinensis
• bowerbird