Spinetails

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small South American songbirds of the family Furnariidae, characterized by their pointed tail feathers with stiff shafts
2. Songbirds found in Central and South America, known for their distinctive rigid tail feathers that taper to sharp points
3. A group of small passerine birds from the Americas distinguished by their tail feathers with hardened, spine-like shafts

Etymology: "Spinetails" is the plural of "spinetail," a noun formed by plainly joining "spine" and "tail." The name describes the birds' most distinctive feature: their tail feathers have stiff, pointed shafts that project like little spines at the tips. Because the word is a transparent compound, its meaning comes straight from the two parts, with no change of sense along the way.

Synonyms: spinetail birds