nunbirdn.
/ˈnʌnbəːd/, U.S. /ˈnənˌbərd/ Any of several Central and South American puffbirds of the genera Monasa and Hapalptila, having bright red or yellow bills and black or dark grey and white plumage. Frequently with distinguishing word. Cf. nunlet n.
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the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Piciformes > [noun] > family Bucconidae (puff-bird) > genus Monasa (nun-bird)
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1881 P. L. Sclater Jacamars & Puff-birds 146 The White-winged Nunbird was one of the first South American birds known to scientific naturalists.
1970 R. Meyer de Schauensee Guide Birds S. Amer. 175/1 Yellow-billed nunbird. Monasa flavirostris.
1982 Ecology 63 1017/1 White-fronted Nunbirds are quite common in parts of Caribbean Costa Rica, and they are tame enough to be easily observable... Nunbirds sit and scan their surroundings for potential prey, then fly out suddenly to catch an insect or small invertebrate.
1986 New Yorker 24 Mar. 104/1 A black-fronted nunbird rustling among branches.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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