tailorbird

1 9.6

A small Asian bird that sews leaves to hide its nest

noun
/ˈteɪlərˌbɜrd/

Indian

: pájaro sastre

With its beak, the tailorbird carefully sews the edges of the leaves to form a secure shelter.

Examples

In the jungle, the tailorbird uses natural fibers to weave a nest that keeps its chicks safe.
The tailorbird of India uses plant-down fibers and spider cocoon silk to stitch together a purse of green leaves; inside the purse, the bird builds a grassy cup.

Academic text (1994)
The tailorbird skillfully stitches leaves together to create a hidden nest in the trees.

Synonyms

Orthotomus sutorius

vstailorbird

Specialized

1 9.9

A small tropical Asian bird that sews leaves together to make its nest

refers to the broader group of similar nest stitching birds

Orthotomus

vstailorbird

Specialized

1 9.9

A small Asian bird that sews leaves together to make its nest

is the name for a single small warbler rather than a whole genus

Surface Forms

tailorbird singular

tailorbirds plural

Morphology

tailorbird = tailor + bird (transparent) = tailor + bird

The compound directly denotes a bird characterized by 'tailor'-like sewing behaviour, so learners can infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

The word tailorbird comes from the English parts tailor ('one who sews') and bird, because small Asian birds seem to 'sew' leaves together to make and hide their nests. That's why a tailorbird is a tiny bird known for stitching leaves to build its nest.