Ornithology Terminology

noun a type of bird with a fan-shaped tail, often referring to species of birds in the Rhipidura genus

• The fantail is a small bird with a distinctive fan-shaped tail.
• I love watching the fantail flit around the garden.
• Check out that cute little fantail hopping around!
• Her dress billowed out behind her like a fantail in the wind.

noun a sudden or violent invasion

verb to enter forcibly or suddenly

• The sudden irruption of the enemy troops caught the soldiers off guard.
• The unexpected irruption of the party guests livened up the atmosphere.
• I can't believe the irrupt of drama that happened at the party last night!
• Her laughter irrupted like a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day.

noun a part of the vocal organ of birds located at the base of the trachea

• The syrinx is a specialized vocal organ found in birds.
• I learned about the syrinx in my ornithology class.
• Check out the syrinx on that bird, it's so cool!
• Her voice was like a syrinx, effortlessly hitting high notes.

noun a type of bird in the genus Anser

adjective silly or foolish

• The professor dismissed the student's anserine question as irrelevant to the discussion.
• I can't believe you asked such an anserine question in class!
• Stop being so anserine, dude.
• His anserine behavior made it difficult for others to take him seriously.

noun a small finch-like bird also known as a siskin

• The aberdevine is a small songbird native to Europe and Asia.
• I caught a glimpse of an aberdevine while birdwatching in the park.
• That aberdevine has the prettiest song I've ever heard.
• Her voice was as sweet and melodious as an aberdevine's song.

noun a feather that grows on a bird's body after the primary feathers

• The after-feather of the bird was carefully examined by the ornithologist.
• I found a cool after-feather from a bird on my morning walk.
• Check out this after-feather I found, it's so pretty!
• The after-feather of the situation revealed the true impact of their actions.

adjective describing a condition of having a secondary shaft behind the main shaft, typically in reference to feathers on an arrow or the tail of a bird

• The bird was aftershafted, with additional feathers growing in behind the main feathers.
• I heard that some birds can be aftershafted, which means they have extra feathers.
• That bird is totally aftershafted, it looks so fluffy!
• Her argument was aftershafted with evidence, making it stronger and more convincing.