bird course

noun

In an educational institution, a course which is regarded as particularly easy.

Meanings

nounbird course (plural bird courses)

plural bird courses

  1. CanadaIn an educational institution, a course which is regarded as particularly easy.

    Clarke stumbled into music by way of a high school course he took to raise his grades. "Music was a bird course. I had more interest in math, science, and women", he divulged.

    2002 October 26, Nathalie Younglai, “Conducting without boundaries”, in Guelph Mercury, page C3
    2 more examples

    One of the most popular targets for criticism has been the credit system, Rutledge said, "because the public has the impression that students are just taking a bunch of bird courses—I wish they'd even tell me what a bird course is."

    1975 August 30, Elaine Carey, “Back to school: What's happening in the classes?”, in Toronto Star, page A2

    Forty-five years ago, a McGill University commerce student named Seymour Schulich was looking for a bird course to bolster his grades and came upon a prime candidate — business history.

    2006 March 13, Gordon Pitts, “Forward-looking CEOs are looking to the past”, in Globe and Mail, page B12

Origin

Possibly referring to the small size of bird's brains (compare birdbrain). In the movie Sister Act 2, a bird course is referred to as being a course one can "fly right through," a reference to the course being easy to pass.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bird course. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bird%20course

MLA

“bird course.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bird%20course. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bird course,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bird%20course.

Source: bird course on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.