firebird
noun
Forms firebirds
- noun A scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea). (This species is now classified as belonging to the cardinal family: Cardinalidae)
- noun A Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula).
- noun A vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus).
- noun (Slavic mythology) A magical and prophetic glowing or burning bird from a faraway land, which is both a blessing and a harbinger of doom to its captor
Synonyms
scarlet tanager Piranga olivacea redbird Baltimore oriole Baltimore bird hangbird Icterus galbula galbula vermillion flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus mexicanus
Etymology
From fire + bird, so called because of their bright red or orange plumage.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “firebird”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details