# rare bird

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. An unusual or exceptional person or thing.
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rare, bird.

## Etymology
Calque of Latin rāra avis, part of a commonly quoted line from Juvenal's Satire VI: rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno ("a bird as rare upon the earth as a black swan").

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rare-bird