Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BIRD, n. [burd; Sax. bird, or bridd, a chicken; from the root of bear, or W. bridaw, to break forth.]

1. Properly, a chicken, the young of fowls, and hence a small fowl.
2. In modern use, any fowl or flying animal. It is remarkable that a nation should lay aside the use of the proper generic name of flying animals, fowl, Sax. fugel, D. vogel, the flyer, and substitute the name of the young of those animals, as the generic term. The fact is precisely what it would be to make lamb, the generic name of sheep or colt, that of the equine genus.