Woodcreepers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small to medium-sized passerine birds of the family Furnariidae found in Central and South America, known for their habit of spiraling up tree trunks in search of insects
2. Tropical birds belonging to the genus Dendrocolaptes and related genera that climb vertically along tree bark and branches using their stiff tail feathers for support
3. Forest-dwelling birds of the Neotropics that move along wooden surfaces of trees, probing crevices in bark with their long curved bills to extract arthropods

Etymology: "Woodcreepers" is the plural of "woodcreeper," a noun that combines "wood" with "creeper." The base word, "creeper," comes from the verb "creep," describing something that moves close to the ground or clings and climbs, and in this compound it names a bird that behaves exactly that way. Woodcreepers are small songbirds of the Neotropics that climb tree trunks in spirals, probing bark for insects, using their stiff tail feathers as a prop, much as a woodpecker does. The compound is transparent: a bird that creeps about on wood. The word is a straightforward descriptive formation in English, built from two plain elements rather than borrowed from another language, so the interest lies chiefly in how literally it describes the bird's behaviour.

Synonyms: treecreepers