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kingbird
noun
king·bird
ˈkiŋ-ˌbərd
: any of various American tyrant flycatchers (genus Tyrannus) that are gray above and white, gray, or yellow below
Examples of kingbird in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In their endemic ranges, these wasps are eaten by skunks, squirrels, or bears, or snagged in flight by kingbirds and tanagers.
—Hannah Hoag, USA TODAY, 28 May 2024
Expect to see resident birds such as the black phoebe, Cassin’s kingbird, California and spotted towhee, song sparrow and red-tailed, red-shoulder and Cooper’s hawks.
—Kim Janssen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Worcester County: An Eastern kingbird in New Braintree, three black vultures in Athol, a late snow bunting at the Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area in Bolton, a snowy egret in Rutland, and a chimney swift in Westboro.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Apr. 2023
Plymouth County: There was a Western kingbird near Howland Pond in Plymouth, a wandering cackling goose elsewhere in Plymouth, a prairie warbler at Pawtucket Park, and a greater white-fronted goose off Vaughan Hill Road in Rochester.
—BostonGlobe.com, 28 Nov. 2021
Martha’s Vineyard: a Black skimmer at Sarson’s Island, 2 Common ravens at Menemsha, and a White-eyed vireo. Nantucket: a rare western Cassin’s kingbird – one of fewer than five previous state records – in addition to a migrant Hudsonian godwit at Sesachacha Pond.
—Jesús Marrero Suárez, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022
In addition to large gull concentrations off the east side, sightings included a brown booby, the continued presence of an American white pelican, a late piping plover, a snowy egret, a Western kingbird, and two common ravens.
—BostonGlobe.com, 6 Nov. 2021
Nantucket: five willets at Smith Point, a Baird’s sandpiper at Low Beach, an eastern kingbird at Jackson Point, and a veery at Siasconset.
—Maria Elena Little Endara, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2022
At Plum Island, a Western kingbird was present most of last week, along with a snowy egret and a pectoral sandpiper, and another cattle egret has been lingering in the vicinity of Rogers Street in West Newbury.
—BostonGlobe.com, 13 Nov. 2021
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Word History
First Known Use
1778, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near kingbird
Cite this Entry
“Kingbird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingbird. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
kingbird
noun
king·bird
-ˌbərd
: any of several American tyrant flycatchers
More from Merriam-Webster on kingbird
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kingbird
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