🧳 A winter traveler 🐦 A winter bird

snowbird

1 7.6

A small songbird often seen in cold northern areas in winter

noun
/ˈsnoʊˌbɜrd/

: pájaro de nieve

Examples

The linking word is bird producing, bird cage, snowbird, and bird dog.
Paper presented at the AER International Conference, Snowbird, UT.

Academic text (2009)
The Trust for Public Land protects a 500-acre parcel near the Alta and Snowbird ski resorts.

Academic text (1993)
In winter, the snowbird can often be seen visiting feeders in northern backyards.
Many snowbirds migrate south for the winter to escape the cold climate of the north.
The cheerful call of the snowbird brightens up the snowy landscape during the chilly months.

Synonyms

snow bunting

vssnowbird

1 9.3

A small bird with mostly white feathers that lives in cold northern places

is a broader winter bird term covering various northern species

junco

vssnowbird

1 8.8

A small North American bird like a sparrow with gray or brown feathers often seen in winter

is used more for birds of Arctic northern winters and often white

Plectrophenax nivalis

vssnowbird

Specialized

9.9

A small bird with white and brown feathers that lives in cold northern areas

is the common winter name rather than a scientific label

Spizella arborea

vssnowbird

Specialized

9.9

A small brown bird often seen in winter that is called the American tree sparrow

is focused on Arctic or broader northern winter regions rather than regional US

Surface Forms

snowbird singular

snowbirds plural

Morphology

snowbird = snow + bird (transparent) = snow + bird

Literal compound of 'snow' + 'bird' describing a bird associated with snowy/winter conditions; meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Snowbird is a simple compound of snow and bird, named for small birds you often see in snowy places or during the 'winter' months. That picture of a little bird in the snow helps explain why a snowbird means a bird common in winter.