Meanings
nounmoonbird (plural moonbirds)
plural moonbirds
- AustraliaThe mutton bird.First known use 20th c.
He survived for several months upon the moonbirds’ fatty mutton-like meat & the solace provided by the one book washed up with him […].
2001, Richard Flanagan, Gould's Book of Fish, Vintage, published 2016, page 167
Origin
From moon + bird, apparently because the birds return to nesting sites after nightfall.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
moonbird. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moonbird
MLA
“moonbird.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moonbird. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moonbird,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moonbird.
Source: moonbird on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.