Meanings
nounriflebird (plural riflebirds)
plural riflebirds
- Any of four species of birds of paradise in the genus Ptiloris.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounvelvety black Australian bird of paradise with green and purple iridescence on head and tail
Similar
Ptiloris paradisea
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From rifle + bird, from the resemblance of their black and green plumage to the uniform of early nineteenth-century British army riflemen.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
riflebird. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riflebird
MLA
“riflebird.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riflebird. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “riflebird,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riflebird.
Source: riflebird on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.