stout-billed
Definition
Adjective: * Having a strong, thick, or robust beak. This term is primarily used in ornithology (the study of birds) to describe a bird species or individual whose beak is notably thick, heavy, and powerful in proportion to its head.
Usage
The word "stout-billed" is a descriptive compound adjective. It is used attributively, meaning it is placed directly before the noun it modifies to classify or describe a type of bird.
Examples
- The stout-billed finch can easily crack hard seeds that other birds avoid.
- Researchers observed a stout-billed warbler foraging in the undergrowth.
- Parrots are typically stout-billed, which aids them in breaking open nuts and fruit.
Advanced Usage
- The term can be used in comparative and superlative forms, though this is less common: "The hawfinch is more stout-billed than the chaffinch." / "The large ground finch is the most stout-billed of the Darwin's finches."
- It can function as a predicate adjective following a linking verb like "is" or "are": "This species of crow is particularly stout-billed."
Variants and Related Words
- Stout (adjective): Strong and thick in structure. When used alone, it can describe a person's build, a material, or an object's strength.
- -billed (suffix): Used to form compound adjectives describing the nature of a bird's beak. Other examples include "long-billed," "short-billed," "hooked-billed," and "slender-billed."
Synonyms
- Thick-billed
- Heavy-billed
- Robust-billed
- Powerful-billed
Antonyms
- Slender-billed
- Fine-billed
- Delicate-billed
- Thin-billed
Related Phrases/Idioms
- Stout of bill: A less common, more literary phrasing with the same meaning. (e.g., "The toucan, stout of bill, is a striking sight.")
Adjective
-
having a strong beak
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