# bird

/ˈbɝd/ (US) · /bˈɜːd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bird
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. feathered animal

noun · CEFR A1

an animal with feathers and wings that usually flies and lays eggs.

For teachers: any member of the class Aves, characterized by feathers, a beak, and the laying of hard-shelled eggs.

- We sat on the park bench and watched the birds eating bread crumbs.
- Ornithologists observed several rare birds nesting in the cliffs, noting that their migratory patterns had shifted due to the unusually warm winter.

### 3. rude gesture

noun · CEFR B2 · American English · Slang

a rude sign made by holding up your middle finger.

For teachers: the vulgar gesture of extending the middle finger as a sign of contempt or anger; usually used with 'flip' or 'give'.

- The angry driver gave him the bird after he took the parking spot.
- The player was fined by the league after he flipped the bird to the opposing fans during the final minutes of the game.

### 4. aircraft

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang

a slang word for an airplane or helicopter.

For teachers: a slang term for an aircraft, often used by pilots or aviation enthusiasts.

- The pilot said it was time to get the bird into the air.
- The ground crew worked through the night to ensure the bird was flight-ready for the dawn reconnaissance mission.

### 5. prison sentence

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Slang

time spent in prison.

For teachers: a period of time served in prison; often used in the phrase 'doing bird'.

- He’s doing bird for a robbery he committed last year.
- After serving five years of bird, he found it difficult to reintegrate into a society that had changed so much in his absence.

Usage: Commonly used in the idiomatic construction 'to do bird'.

### 6. watching birds

verb · CEFR B1

to spend time looking for and identifying wild birds.

For teachers: to observe or identify wild birds in their natural habitat as a hobby.

- They spent the whole weekend birding in the national park.
- The group went birding along the coast, hoping to spot the rare plover that had been reported by local enthusiasts earlier that week.

### 7. easy course

adjective · CEFR C1 · Dialect · Informal

an easy class or course at school that requires very little work.

For teachers: describing a university or school course that is notoriously easy to pass with minimal effort.

- I took a bird course in film studies just to get the credits.
- Students often flock to the introductory sociology module, as it has a reputation for being a bird course with a very high pass rate.

Teaching tip: This usage is specific to Canadian English; in the US, this is often called a 'mick' or 'gut' course.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.