WAGTAIL

wagtail

(noun) Old World bird having a very long tail that jerks up and down as it walks

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

wagtail (plural wagtails)

Any of various small passerine birds of the family Motacillidae, of the Old World, notable for their long tails.

Hyponyms

• cape wagtail

• citrine wagtail

• field wagtail

• garden wagtail

• grey wagtail

• mountain wagtail

• pied wagtail

• wagtail flycatcher

• water wagtail

• white wagtail

• wood wagtail

• yellow wagtail

Source: Wiktionary


Wag"tail`, n. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any one of many species of Old World singing birds belonging to Motacilla and several allied genera of the family Motacillidæ. They have the habit of constantly jerking their long tails up and down, whence the name. Field wagtail, any one of several species of wagtails of the genus Budytes having the tail shorter, the legs longer, and the hind claw longer and straighter, than do the water wagtails. Most of the species are yellow beneath. Called also yellow wagtail.

– Garden wagtail, the Indian black-breasted wagtail (Nemoricola Indica).

– Pied wagtail, the common European water wagtail (Motacilla lugubris). It is variegated with black and white. The name is applied also to other allied species having similar colors. Called also pied dishwasher.

– Wagtail flycatcher, a true flycatcher (Sauloprocta motacilloides) common in Southern Australia, where it is very tame, and frequents stock yards and gardens and often builds its nest about houses; -- called also black fantail.

– Water wagtail. (a) Any one of several species of wagtails of the restricted genus Motacilla. They live chiefly on the shores of ponds and streams. (b) The American water thrush. See Water thrush.

– Wood wagtail, an Asiatic wagtail; (Calobates sulphurea) having a slender bill and short legs.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


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