What does birdliming mean?
Birdliming is the act of catching birds by coating twigs, branches, or other perches with birdlime — a viscous, glue-like substance traditionally prepared from the bark of plants such as holly. When a bird lands on a limed surface, its feet adhere, immobilizing it until the fowler collects it. The technique dates back centuries and appears in classical, medieval, and early modern sources across Europe and elsewhere; it supplied songbirds and game for food, sale, and sport. Because it is indiscriminate and causes prolonged suffering, birdliming has been widely outlawed under modern wildlife-protection laws, though it persists illegally in parts of the Mediterranean. Figuratively, the word can describe any subtle entrapment — a scheme or wording designed to catch the unwary. Today 'birdliming' is chiefly a historical term, met in older literature, ornithological history, and conservation writing about illegal trapping.
The action or practice of catching birds using birdlime smeared on their perching places.
"Birdliming of finches has been banned throughout the European Union."
Chiefly historical or legal contexts.
Present participle of the verb 'birdlime': to smear with, or catch by means of, birdlime.
"They were caught birdliming quail along the coastal scrub."
Before modern nets and traps, hunters caught birds with glue made from holly bark — and 'birdliming' survives today as proof that even words can be sticky.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of birdliming
The word combines 'bird' with 'lime', the latter from Old English 'līm', meaning glue or sticky paste, which itself derives from Proto-Germanic *leima- and is related to Latin 'limus' (slime) — the same root behind limestone and calcium oxide senses of 'lime'. 'Birdlime' as the substance is attested in English from the Middle Ages, and the verb 'birdlime', hence 'birdliming', followed shortly after. Cognates appear in other Germanic languages with parallel compounds for the same fowling paste.
Related word forms
How birdliming is actually used
Archaic and largely historical; encountered mainly in texts on traditional fowling, natural history, or figurative literary use. The verb 'to birdlime' is now rare, so the -ing form typically appears as a verbal noun describing the historical practice.
Easily confused with birdliming
Though near-homophonous in some accents, 'climbing' means ascending, while 'birdliming' means trapping birds with a sticky substance.