bird
noun /bɜːd/
/bɜːrd/
Idioms 
enlarge imagea creature that is covered with feathers and has two wings and two legs. Most birds can fly.- a bird’s nest with two eggs in it
- a species of bird
- A small bird flew down.
- The birds migrate in September.
- Birds were singing in the trees.
- The area has a wealth of bird life.
- More than a third of Britain's bird species need urgent protection.
Collocations The living worldThe living worldAnimalssee also game bird, seabird, songbird, waterbirdTopics Birdsa1- animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
- fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
- birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
- insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
- insects/bees/locusts swarm
- bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
- spiders spin/weave a web
- snakes/lizards shed their skins
- bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
- insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
- an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
- attract/find/choose a mate
- produce/release eggs/sperm
- lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
- inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
- mark/enter/defend (a) territory
- stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
- trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
- a seed germinates/sprouts
- leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
- flower buds swell/open
- a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
- pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
- produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
- produce/bear fruit
- develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
- provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
- perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
- bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
- bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
- bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
- bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
- a virus enters/invades something/the body
- a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
- be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
- contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
- kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- wild
- caged
- exotic
- …
- flock
- circle
- flit
- fly
- …
- species
- call
- song
- …
- a bird of passage
- a bird of prey
- a breed of bird
- …
- (British English, old-fashioned, slang, sometimes offensive) a way of referring to a young woman see also dolly bird
- (informal) a person of a particular type, especially somebody who is strange or unusual in some way
- a wise old bird
- She is that rare bird: a politician with a social conscience.
Word OriginOld English brid ‘chick, fledgling’, of unknown origin.
Idioms
be (strictly) for the birds
- (informal) to not be important or practical
the bird has flown
- the wanted person has escaped
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
- (saying) it is better to keep something that you already have than to risk losing it by trying to get much more
the birds and the bees
- (humorous) the basic facts about sex, especially as told to children
a bird’s-eye view (of something)
- a view of something from a high position looking down
- From the plane we had a bird's-eye view of Manhattan.
birds of a feather (flock together)
- (saying) people of the same sort (are found together)
the early bird catches the worm
- (saying) the person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them
give somebody/get the bird (informal)
- (British English) to shout at somebody to show that you do not like or approve of them; to be shouted at
- (North American English) to make a rude sign at somebody with your middle finger; to have this sign made at you
kill two birds with one stone
- to achieve two things at the same time with one actionTopics Successc2
a little bird told me
- (informal) used to say that somebody told you something but you do not want to say who it was