Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Loddigesia mirabilis, a sexually dimorphic hummingbird with blue crest feathers, a brilliant turquoise gorget, and a black line on its white underparts.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

spatule +‎ tail

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Examples

  • The hotspot also boasts the greatest diversity of hummingbirds in the world, including the world's largest, the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas), and the marvelous spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis, EN), appropriately named for its long racquet-shaped tail.

    Biological diversity in the Tropical Andes 2009

  • The cloud forest supports a wide diversity of fauna with such notable species as turkey vulture Cathartes aura, Andean guan Penelope montagnii, scarlet-fronted parakeet Aratinga wagleri, lyre-tailed nightjar Uropsalis lyra, marvellous spatuletail Loddigesia mirabilis (VU), cock-of-the-rock Rupicola peruviana, carbonated flower-piercer Diglossa carbonaria and hepatic tanager Piranga flava (Mittermeier, de Macedo and Luscombe, 1975).

    Rio Abiseo National Park, Peru 2008

  • ~ Video: First Footage of Rare Hummingbird Courtship -- "Witness the bizarre display of the marvelous spatuletail, a tiny bird that uses a pair of extra long feathers to wow potential mates."

    Speedlinking 4/20/07 William Harryman 2007

  • I don't remember how I found it I'm going to be hugely embarassed if it was a link from here, but here's some video of another raquet-tailed critter: the marvelous spatuletail.

    Wondrous Feathers 2007

  • This is the spatuletail hummingbird - one of the rarest birds, with an absolutely amazing tail ... and mating dance.

    TreeHugger 2009

  • Very little is known about the spatuletail hummingbird, so capturing it on film like this is a treasure.

    TreeHugger 2009

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