Wagtail

Wagtail
Wagtail Wag"tail`, n. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of many species of Old World singing birds belonging to {Motacilla} and several allied genera of the family {Motacillid[ae]}. They have the habit of constantly jerking their long tails up and down, whence the name. [1913 Webster]

{Field wagtail}, any one of several species of wagtails of the genus {Budytes} having the tail shorter, the legs longer, and the hind claw longer and straighter, than do the water wagtails. Most of the species are yellow beneath. Called also {yellow wagtail}.

{Garden wagtail}, the Indian black-breasted wagtail ({Nemoricola Indica}).

{Pied wagtail}, the common European water wagtail ({Motacilla lugubris}). It is variegated with black and white. The name is applied also to other allied species having similar colors. Called also {pied dishwasher}.

{Wagtail flycatcher}, a true flycatcher ({Sauloprocta motacilloides}) common in Southern Australia, where it is very tame, and frequents stock yards and gardens and often builds its nest about houses; -- called also {black fantail}.

{Water wagtail}. (a) Any one of several species of wagtails of the restricted genus {Motacilla}. They live chiefly on the shores of ponds and streams. (b) The American water thrush. See {Water thrush}.

{Wood wagtail}, an Asiatic wagtail; ({Calobates sulphurea}) having a slender bill and short legs. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Synonyms:
, , (Mergus merganser or Mergus castor) /


Look at other dictionaries:

  • wagtail — ► NOUN ▪ a slender songbird with a long tail that is frequently wagged up and down …   English terms dictionary

  • wagtail — [wag′tāl΄] n. 1. any of numerous small passerine birds (family Motacillidae) mostly native to Europe, characterized by long wing feathers and a very long tail that wags up and down ☆ 2. any of various similar birds, as an American waterthrush …   English World dictionary

  • Wagtail — For the nuclear missile, see Wagtail (missile). Wagtails African Pied Wagtail Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • wagtail — /wag tayl /, n. 1. any of numerous small, chiefly Old World birds of the family Motacillidae, having a slender body with a long, narrow tail that is habitually wagged up and down. 2. any of several similar birds, as the water thrushes of the… …   Universalium

  • wagtail —    ‘Thou wagtail’ was a commonly used vocative in the seventeenth century. Applied to a young man it was usually contemptuous, applied to a woman it was always contemptuous, and was roughly equivalent to calling her a whore.    The term is in no… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • wagtail — UK [ˈwæɡˌteɪl] / US noun [countable] Word forms wagtail : singular wagtail plural wagtails a small bird with a long tail that quickly moves up and down when the bird walks …   English dictionary

  • wagtail — [[t]wæ̱gteɪl[/t]] wagtails N COUNT A wagtail is a type of small bird which moves its tail quickly up and down as it walks …   English dictionary

  • wagtail — noun a slender songbird with a long tail that is frequently wagged up and down. [Motacilla alba (pied wagtail) and other species.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • wagtail — /ˈwægteɪl / (say wagtayl) noun 1. any of numerous small, chiefly Eurasian birds of the family Motacillidae, having a slender body with a long, narrow tail which is habitually wagged up and down; a number of species are irregular migrants or… …  

  • wagtail — tikrosios kielės statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Motacilla angl. wagtail vok. Stelze, f rus. настоящая трясогузка, f; трясогузка, f pranc. bergeronnette, f ryšiai: platesnis terminas – kieliniai siauresnis terminas –… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

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