ovenbird

[ uhv-uhn-burd ]

noun
  1. an American warbler, Seiurus aurocapillus, that builds an oven-shaped nest of leaves, twigs, etc., on the forest floor.

  2. any of several South American passerine birds of the genus Furnarius of the family Furnariidae, certain species of which build an oven-shaped nest.

Origin of ovenbird

1
First recorded in 1815–25; oven + bird

Words Nearby ovenbird

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ovenbird in a sentence

  • Or would it be a ball of leaves and grasses on the ground, with a tiny doorway in one side, like that of the ovenbird?

    Among the Forest People | Clara Dillingham Pierson
  • Mrs. ovenbird felt her nest roof crush down upon her for a minute as two people rolled and growled outside.

    Among the Night People | Clara Dillingham Pierson
  • Each burrow had one fine, large room, bigger than an ovenbird's nest, with a soft bed of leaves and fur.

    Among the Night People | Clara Dillingham Pierson
  • It is only by a happy accident that this nest of the ovenbird is discovered.

    Bird Neighbors | Neltje Blanchan
  • The vireos, the cardinal and the tanager add to the brilliancy and the ovenbird and veery to the melody.

    Some Spring Days in Iowa | Frederick John Lazell

British Dictionary definitions for ovenbird

ovenbird

/ (ˈʌvənˌbɜːd) /


noun
  1. any of numerous small brownish South American passerine birds of the family Furnariidae that build oven-shaped clay nests

  2. a common North American warbler, Seiurus aurocapillus, that has an olive-brown striped plumage with an orange crown and builds a cup-shaped nest on the ground

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012