Word of the Day - Pygostyle

pygostyle

Pronunciation: /ˈpʌɪɡə(ʊ)stʌɪl/
noun
Ornithology
(in a bird) a triangular plate formed of the fused caudal vertebrae, typically supporting the tail feathers.

Origin
Late 19th century: from Greek pugē rump + stulos column.

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The turkeys at the edge of the woods strutted, preened and showed off not only to one another, but to the happy crowd on my back porch. I did not explain to them that the spectacular display of tail feathers is only
possible because of the fused vertebrae of the pygostyle. Today's visitors are not an ornithology crowd.

Photo Credit: Flickr user lumesire Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license