Word of the Day - Inquiline

inquiline

Pronunciation: /ˈɪnkwɪlʌɪn/
noun
Zoology
An animal exploiting the living space of another, e.g. an insect that lays its eggs in a gall produced by another.
as modifier ‘an inquiline insect’

Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin inquilinus ‘temporary resident’, from in- ‘into’ + colere ‘dwell’.

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The tufted titmouse, a common bird in eastern North America, is doubly inquiline. It lives in holes made in trees, depending on the tree for housing, but does not make the holes, using natural cavities or old nests made by woodpeckers like the Northern Flicker.