WATTLEBIRD

Etymology

Noun

wattlebird (plural wattlebirds)

Any of a group of Australian birds in the genus Anthochaera of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. [from 19th c.]

Any of three birds in the family Callaeidae, endemic to New Zealand.

Source: Wiktionary


Wat"tle*bird`, n.

1. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any one of several species of honey eaters belonging to Anthochæra and allied genera of the family Meliphagidæ. These birds usually have a large and conspicuous wattle of naked skin hanging down below each ear. They are natives of Australia and adjacent islands.

Note: The best-known species (Anthochæra carunculata) has the upper parts grayish brown, with a white stripe on each feather, and the wing and tail quills dark brown or blackish, tipped with withe. Its wattles, in life, are light blood-red. Called also wattled crow, wattled bee-eater, wattled honey eater. Another species (A. inauris) is streaked with black, gray, and white, and its long wattles are white, tipped with orange. The bush wattlebirds, belonging to the genus Anellobia, are closely related, but lack conspicuous wattles. The most common species (A. mellivora) is dark brown, finely streaked with white. Called also goruck creeper.

2. (Zoöl.)

Definition: The Australian brush turkey.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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