# "Bluebird" as "Windfall"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluebird-as-windfall/754060>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 6, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluebird-as-windfall/754060 "2016-05-06T13:26:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluebird-as-windfall/754060/1 "2016-05-06T13:26:51Z")

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What is the origin of referring to a windfall as a “bluebird”?

In our business we use it for any sale or other piece of business that we obtain by chance, without our having done any work to earn it. I can site it going back 10 years but I suspect its been around much much longer.

Googling about I find references to the arrival of bluebirds as a harbinger of Spring, but that seems a very loose connection to the usage.

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**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluebird-as-windfall/754060/2 "2016-05-06T14:06:50Z")

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“Bluebird of Happiness” ([Bluebird of happiness - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebird_of_happiness#Origins_of_the_bluebird_as_a_symbol_of_happiness)), perhaps?