Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In ornithology:
  • noun A passerine bird of the family Dendrocolaptidæ, having stiff and more or less acuminate tail-feathers, much like a woodpecker's; a spine-tailed or sclerurine bird. See cuts under saberbill and Sclerurus.
  • noun A cypseline bird of the subfamily Chæturinæ; a spine-tailed or chæturine swift, having mucronate shafts of the tail-feathers. See Acanthyllis, and cut under mucronate.
  • noun The ruddy duck, Erismatura rubida.
  • noun The log-runner, a bird of the genus Orthonyx. See log-runner.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Local, U.S., Local, U.S. Any one or several species of swifts of the genus Acanthylis, or Chætura, and allied genera, in which the shafts of the tail feathers terminate in rigid spines.
  • noun Local, U.S., Local, U.S. Any one of several species of South American and Central American clamatorial birds belonging to Synallaxis and allied genera of the family Dendrocolaptidæ. They are allied to the ovenbirds.
  • noun Local, U.S. The ruddy duck.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of several species of swifts of Acanthylis, Chaetura, and allied genera, in which the shafts of the tail feathers terminate in rigid spines.
  • noun Any of several species of South American and Central American clamatorial birds belonging to Synallaxis and allied genera of the family Dendrocolaptidae, allied to the ovenbirds.
  • noun US, dialect The ruddy duck.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

spine +‎ tail

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Examples

  • These include the Coiba spinetail Cranioleuca dissita and 20 endemic subspecies.

    Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection, Panama 2009

  • Such is Colombia's birding richness that even a stop at a roadside restaurant near the park yielded a treasure: a glimpse of the rare silvery-throated spinetail.

    With Rebels on the Run, Colombia 2009

  • In addition, the resident species that live in these tropical savannas have very high diversity with many endemic species, such as the scaled spinetail.

    Gurupa varzea 2008

  • Also found here are the plain-winged antwren (Myrmotherula behni), dusky spinetail (Synallaxis moesta), lemon-throated barbet (Eubucco richardsoni), and zone-tailed hawk (Buteo albonotatus).

    Caqueta moist forests 2008

  • The rest of the endemic birds are under the status "least concern"; they include the pygmy swift (Tachornis furcata), buffy hummingbird (Leucippus fallax), chesnut piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus), white-whiskered spinetail (Synallaxis candei), black-backed antshrike (Sakesphorus melanonotus), slender-billd tyrannulet (Inezia tenuirostris), tocuyo sparrow (Arremonops tocuyensis), and vermilion cardinal (Cardinalis phoeniceus).

    Lara-Falcón dry forests 2008

  • The following endemic birds are under the status "least concern": the pygmy swift (Tachornis furcata), buffy hummingbird (Leucippus fallax), chesnut piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus), white-whiskered spinetail (Synallaxis candei), black-backed antshrike (Sakesphorus melanonotus), slender-billd tyrannulet (Inezia tenuirostris), tocuyo sparrow (Arremonops tocuyensis), and vermilion cardinal (Cardinalis phoeniceus).

    Maracaibo dry forests 2008

  • The endemic birds listed below have "least concern"; status; they include the pygmy swift (Tachornis furcata), buffy hummingbird (Leucippus fallax), chesnut piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus), white-whiskered spinetail (Synallaxis candei), black-backed antshrike (Sakesphorus melanonotus), slender-billed tyrannulet (Inezia tenuirostris), tocuyo sparrow (Arremonops tocuyensis), and vermilion cardinal (Cardinalis phoeniceus).

    Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub 2008

  • They include the pygmy swift (Tachornis furcata), buffy hummingbird (Leucippus fallax), chesnut piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus), white-whiskered spinetail (Synallaxis candei), black-backed antshrike (Sakesphorus melanonotus), slender-billd tyrannulet (Inezia tenuirostris), tocuyo sparrow (Arremonops tocuyensis), and vermilion cardinal (Cardinalis phoeniceus).

    La Costa xeric shrublands 2008

  • Besides the narrow endemics listed above, characteristic birds of the escarpment forests and woodlands include red-crested turaco (Tauraco erythrolophus), red-backed mousebird (Colius castanotus) (both endemic to Angola), mottled spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri), batlike spinetail (Neafrapus boehmi), naked-faced barbet (Gymnobucco calvus), red-tailed palm thrush (Cichladusa ruficauda), and yellow-bellied wattle-eye (Dyaphorophyia concreta).

    Angolan scarp savanna and woodlands 2008

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