A bird species (Cuculus poliocephalus). The name is usually written in katakana as アヤナシドリ. The kanji 文無鳥 is rare and literary.
See also: ホトトギス
The lesser cuckoo comes to Japan as a summer bird.
The call of the lesser cuckoo resembles that of the lesser cuckoo (ホトトギス).
Katakana spelling is standard for this bird name; the kanji form 文無鳥 is rare and mainly encountered in older texts.
Rare kanji spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
The origin of アヤナシドリ is uncertain. The kanji 文無鳥 literally means 'patternless bird', possibly referring to its plain plumage compared to other cuckoos.