Acanthizids

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small insect-eating songbirds belonging to the family Acanthizidae, found mainly in Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands
2. Tiny passerine birds in the family Acanthizidae, typically native to Australasia and known for feeding on insects
3. A group of small perching birds, the acanthizids, which live chiefly in the Australasian region and eat insects and other small prey

Etymology: Acanthizids are the members of the family Acanthizidae, a group of small songbirds found mainly in Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and the plural simply names more than one of them. Its base, "acanthizid", is a technical coinage built on the genus name "Acanthiza", the type genus of the family. That genus name comes from the Greek "akanthis", meaning a finch or goldfinch, so the scientific name ties these birds back to an ancient Greek word for a seed-eating songbird.