colin

colin — noun

1. a small North American bird of the quail family, with brown, white, and black ma

1.nounC1
Definition

a small North American bird of the quail family, with brown, white, and black markings and a clear two-note whistle — often hunted as a game bird, the colin is also called the bobwhite and includes several very similar wild species across the United States and Mexico.

Example

Emma spotted a colin scurrying across the dirt path in the state park.

colin + habitat: scurrying across dirt path

The farmer said the whistling sound was a male colin calling for a mate.

colin + distinctive whistling call

Common collocations
  • hunt colin
  • colin call
  • colin nest
  • colin season
  • colin population
Synonyms
  • bobwhite

    more specific — refers to the best-known species (Colinus virginianus)

  • quail

    broader category — colins are a subgroup of the quail family

  • partridge

    sometimes used loosely in North America, though colins are not true partridges

Grammar Patterns

a + colin

plural: colins

Usage Note

Frequently used with the definite article ('the colin') when referring to the species as a whole. In hunting and birdwatching contexts, 'colin' can refer either to the bobwhite specifically or to any of the closely related New World quails in the genus Colinus.

Common Mistakes

Colin is a small bird found in North America.' (capitalized like a person's name).
A colin is a small bird found in North America.
The bird is always written in lowercase; capitalise 'Colin' only for the male given name.

Word family

  • bobwhite
    nounC1
  • quail
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to ground-dwelling game birds, but they differ in precision. 'Bobwhite' is the most specific — it names the bird whose call sounds like 'bob-WHITE' and is the best-known colin species. 'Colin' is the scientific/common genus name for the same group of New World quails. 'Quail' is the broadest term, covering Old World and New World species; a colin is a type of quail, but not all quails are colins. 'Partridge' is often used loosely in North America for any small game bird flushed from cover, but true partridges belong to the Old World genus Perdix. 'Grouse' refers to larger, heftier game birds of colder regions and is not interchangeable with colin. A hunter might say 'I bagged a few quail' (vague) but a birder would specify 'I saw a bobwhite' (precise).

bobwhitequailpartridgegrouse ↗

Etymology

FrenchLatinEnglish

The bird name 'colin' comes from French 'colin', a pet form of the given name Nicolas (Nicholas). French settlers in North America transferred the nickname to this small quail, much as the bird's English name 'bobwhite' imitates its call. The scientific genus Colinus was coined in the early 1800s by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.