1) American slang for a convict 2) An army recruit 3) Army menial 4) Cell dweller 5) English-language slang 6) Inept enlistee 1) Con 2) Inmate 
A yardbird is post-Second World War African American slang for `prisoner`, from the notion of prison yards. During the Second World War, in the armed forces it meant `basic trainee`, as they spent most of their time in the yards. In the Deep South of the United States, the word also means chicken. In one explanation for American saxophonist Ch...
Yardbird is American slang for a military recruit.
a convict or prisoner. · an army recruit. · a soldier confined to camp and assigned to cleaning the grounds or other menial tasks as punishment for violation of the rules.