The bird of Juno

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The peacock. Minerva's bird is either the cock or the owl; that of Venus is the dove.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “The bird of Juno” mean?

The peacock. Minerva's bird is either the cock or the owl; that of Venus is the dove.

Is “The bird of Juno” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.