Definition

1. Adjective:
   • (Of birds) having a deeply forked tail: Describes a bird whose tail is divided into two long, slender, and often streamer-like parts that resemble the blades of an open pair of scissors, especially when spread or in flight.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The scissor-tailed flycatcher is a beautiful bird native to North America.
  • We spotted a scissor-tailed bird perched on the fence, its distinctive tail clearly visible.
  • The term 'scissor-tailed' perfectly describes the forked tail shape of that species.

Advanced Usage

• Descriptive Zoology: The term is primarily used in ornithology (the study of birds) as a precise descriptive term for tail morphology. It is often part of a bird's common name.
  • The field guide helped us identify the raptor as a scissor-tailed kite.

Variants and Related Words

• Scissor-tail (noun): A common shortening used in the names of specific birds, such as the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher ().
  • A large group of scissor-tails was gathering on the telephone wires.

Synonyms

• Fork-tailed: Having a tail divided into two parts.
• Swallow-tailed: Having a deeply forked tail, similar to that of a swallow.

Related Phrases

• Scissor-tailed flycatcher: The most common bird species referred to by this adjective.
  • The scissor-tailed flycatcher is the state bird of Oklahoma.

Adjective

1. (of birds) having a deeply forked tail
   • scissor-tailed birds