bird of night

7.1

A bird active at night that hunts small animals, for example an owl

noun

Archaic

: ave de noche

She spotted a bird of night perched silently atop the old fence post.

Examples

Spying a bird of night resting in the tree, the children marveled at its large eyes and sharp beak.
The bird of night hooted softly in the darkness.
Legends often feature the bird of night as a mysterious messenger in the darkness.
The eerie call of the bird of night echoed through the forest.
Many birds of night are active while we sleep.
As she walked through the woods at dusk, she heard the haunting call of the bird of night echoing around her.
The bird of night flew silently over the moonlit landscape, searching for its next meal.

Synonyms

owl

vsbird of night

210 1.0

A night bird with big eyes that face forward and a round head

is the broader category term rather than this single species example

night bird

vsbird of night

1 4.3

A bird active at night, like an owl

is specifically about predatory nocturnal birds with hawk beaks and front-facing eyes

hooter

vsbird of night

8.2

A night bird like an owl that hunts small animals

is a general label often used for the common example of that type

Surface Forms

bird of night singular

birds of night plural

Morphology

bird + of + night

The meaning 'a nocturnal bird' is directly derivable from combining 'bird' (a flying animal) with 'night' via the linking preposition 'of', which signals association or belonging; a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer 'a bird of the night' = a nocturnal bird (e.g., an owl). This compositional pattern (noun + of + noun meaning 'associated with') is cross-linguistically common, so the expression is transparently interpretable.

Etymology

Bird of night comes from the clear image of a bird that flies in the night. People used this picture for owls, which hunt quietly in the dark and seem mysterious, so the phrase came to mean 'a bird active at night, especially an owl'.