Chinese character 鸜

鸜 is a variant spelling of 鴝, chiefly found in 鸜鹆. The compound names the bird called 八哥. The Zuo Zhuan, an early Chinese chronicle, records “有鸜鹆来巢”—the bird came to nest—around 517 BCE. Its story treats the unusual nesting as a political omen tied to Duke Zhao’s exile; a children’s rhyme also links the bird with exile.

《说文解字》, an early Chinese character dictionary, defines 鴝 as 鸜鹆 and explains its form with 鳥 (“bird”) and 句. Variant dictionaries also record a 瞿-based spelling for 鸜. The character’s documented role is the bird name; the omen belongs to the chronicle’s story.

Is 鸜 the same as 鴝?

Yes: in 鸜鹆, the two forms write the same bird name. Traditional Chinese generally uses 鴝; simplified Chinese uses 鸲. 鸜 preserves an attested variant. Keep it when a source uses it; for ordinary writing, the form your readers expect is clearer.

Why does 鸜 show as a square?

A square means the font cannot draw 鸜. In font-dependent rendering, font coverage can leave it blank and font design can alter its strokes. A font change keeps the same character; substituting 鴝 or 鸲 changes the spelling.