wattlebird

English

Wikispecies

(1) Anthochaera carunculata, red wattlebird

(2) Callaeas wilsoni, kokako

Etymology

From wattle +‎ bird.

Noun

wattlebird (plural wattlebirds)

1. Any of a group of Australian birds in the genus Anthochaera of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. [from 19th c.]
   • 1865, John Gould, Handbook to The Birds of Australia, volume 1, page 434:

     In Hobart Town it is frequently exposed for sale in the markets with Bronzewing Pigeons and Wattlebirds, where it is known by the name of Ground-Dove, an appellation which has doubtless been given both from its habit of running and feeding upon the ground like the Pigeons […]

   • 2015, Charlotte Wood, The Natural Way of Things, Allen & Unwin, published 2018, page 285:

     Outside in the evening a wattlebird wrenches pieces from the brush tree at the end of the veranda.

2. Any of three birds in the family Callaeidae, endemic to New Zealand.

Derived terms

• brush wattlebird
• little wattlebird
• red wattlebird
• western wattlebird
• yellow wattlebird