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Glite Dictionary
perching bird

perching bird

5.7
A bird with feet that hold onto branches, like a robin or sparrow
  • noun
  • /ˈpɜrʧɪŋ bɜrd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pájaro posador
  • Of the factors potentially explaining this pattern, the relative abundance of passerine or perching birds to nonpasserine birds was the most important explanatory variable.
  • passerine birds

Examples

  • I estimate that twenty-four out of forty-two families of passerine (perching) birds include species dependent on silk for nest building.

    Academic text (1994)

  • They're both perching birds, of course.

    The Birds (1963)

  • During migratory stopovers, some perching birds gain weight at the rate of 10 percent of their body weight per day.

    Academic text (1993)

  • A scarecrow covered with flocks of ignorant, careless, selfish, lazy, perching birds.

    Blog text (20)

  • The bowerbirds are a monophyletic family of passerines (perching birds) consisting of eighteen species in eight genera whose distribution is limited to New Guinea and Australia.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Many colorful perching birds can be seen resting on tree branches in the forest.

  • The park is home to various perching birds, known for their ability to grasp branches with their feet.

  • We watched the perching birds as they hopped from branch to branch in search of food.

Synonyms

bird
vsperching bird
∞ 1.0

A warm-blooded animal with feathers, wings, and a beak that usually flies

is a specific subset defined by foot structure for grasping branches
passerine
vsperching bird
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A small bird like a sparrow or finch that sits on branches

is the general term stressing foot adaptation and past classification
passeriform bird
vsperching bird
  • Specialized
9.2

A small or medium bird like a robin that sits on branches and often sings

is defined by feet adapted for grasping rather than strict taxonomic placement
percher
vsperching bird
  • Specialized
9.5

A bird that sits on branches using its feet to hold on, like a robin

is the broader modern definition without focusing on older classification
Insessores
vsperching bird
  • Archaic
9.9

An old name used by scientists for birds with feet for perching, like songbirds

is the current descriptive term rather than the obsolete scientific label

How Aerial

apodiform bird
  • Specialized
9.9
perching bird
  • Specialized
5.7

Surface Forms

perching bird singular
perching birds plural

Morphology

perch + bird

The meaning is compositionally built from 'perch' (to sit/rest on a high place) + 'bird' and straightforwardly denotes a bird that perches or has feet adapted for perching. This participial modifier pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so an average B1 learner who knows the constituent words will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Perching bird comes from the simple picture of a bird that perches: it sits on a branch and uses special feet that grip the branch. So the name means a bird made 'to perch', which explains why we call these birds 'perching birds'.