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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 11 Feb. 2025.
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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