Crossword clues for wagtail
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Wagtail \Wag"tail`\, n. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of many species of Old World singing birds belonging to Motacilla and several allied genera of the family Motacillid[ae]. They have the habit of constantly jerking their long tails up and down, whence the name. Field wagtail, any one of several species of wagtails of the genus Budytes having the tail shorter, the legs longer, and the hind claw longer and straighter, than do the water wagtails. Most of the species are yellow beneath. Called also yellow wagtail. Garden wagtail, the Indian black-breasted wagtail ( Nemoricola Indica). Pied wagtail, the common European water wagtail ( Motacilla lugubris). It is variegated with black and white. The name is applied also to other allied species having similar colors. Called also pied dishwasher. Wagtail flycatcher, a true flycatcher ( Sauloprocta motacilloides) common in Southern Australia, where it is very tame, and frequents stock yards and gardens and often builds its nest about houses; -- called also black fantail. Water wagtail.
Any one of several species of wagtails of the restricted genus Motacilla. They live chiefly on the shores of ponds and streams.
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The American water thrush. See Water thrush.
Wood wagtail, an Asiatic wagtail; ( Calobates sulphurea) having a slender bill and short legs.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
c.1500, kind of small bird that has its tail in continuous motion (late 12c. as a surname), earlier wagstart (mid-15c.), from wag (v.) + tail (n.). From 18c. as "a harlot," but this sense seems to be implied much earlier:\n\nIf therefore thou make not thy mistress a goldfinch, thou mayst chance to find her a wagtaile.
[Lyly, "Midas," 1592]
Wiktionary
n. Any of various small passerine birds of the family Motacillidae, of the Old World, notable for their long tails.
WordNet
n. Old World bird having a very long tail that jerks up and down as it walks
Wikipedia
The wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. The forest wagtail belongs to the monotypic genus Dendronanthus which is closely related to Motacilla and sometimes included herein. The common name and genus names are derived from their characteristic tail pumping behaviour. Together with the pipits and longclaws they form the family Motacillidae.
The willie wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) of Australia is an unrelated bird similar in coloration and shape to the Japanese wagtail. It belongs to the fantails.
The Wagtail missile, also known as "Wag Tail", was a short-range nuclear missile developed in the late 1950s by Minneapolis-Honeywell under a contract awarded by the United States Air Force. Intended for use as an auxiliary weapon by bomber aircraft, the missile was successfully test fired in 1958, but the program was cancelled in the early 1960s.
Wagtail is a free and open source Content Management System (CMS) written in Python. It is popular amongst CMSes using the Django framework. The project is maintained by a team of open-source contributors backed by companies around the world. The project has a focus on developer friendliness as well as ease of use of its administration interface, translated in multiple languages.
Usage examples of "wagtail".
As soon as the Kangaroo heard the Bush Wagtail, she and Dot hurried away to find him.
Although the Kangaroo was longing to hear the reason why so many Bush creatures had collected round Dot whilst she was away, she was too anxious to carry her to Willy Wagtail before nightfall to wait and enquire what had happened.
Willy Wagtail, with a jerk of his tail which nearly sent him headlong off the rail.
I know where Mr Willie Wagtail lives, and where the flying squirrel plays, and lots of other things, and best of all where the lyre-bird dances.
They danced about a bush, the magpie tantalisingly holding the moth for acceptance and hopping off as the wagtail was about to snatch it.
After this the game was frequently played, but the magpie had invariably to make it worth the while of the wagtail by offering a prize in the shape of some tit-bit.
But she did not say anything, for it was quite clear in her little mind that Blackfellows, kangaroos, and willy wagtails had a very poor opinion of white people.
Dot glanced through the branches, and saw two wagtails, who looked very smart with their black coats and white waistcoats, sitting on two posts of the fence a little way off.
Far back in the snow-time a pair of wagtails used to come several times a day close to the windows, their black markings showing up singularly well against the snow on the ground.
The wagtails appear to be the first of the migrant birds to return, long before the hail of April rattles against the windows and leaps up in the short grass.
Hedgesparrows, coal-tits, wagtails, yellowhammers, robins, bullfinches, half the birdlife of Germany was pecking at her finger through the wooden bars.
When a band of wagtails has compelled a bird of prey to retreat, they make the air resound with their triumphant cries, and after that they separate.
They rose like a flock of wagtails startled into sudden flight and headed for the room where his clothes were.
The hens were pecking round it, some chickens were balanced on the drinking trough, wagtails flew away in among trucks, from the water.
Hedgesparrows, coal-tits, wagtails, yellowhammers, robins, bullfinches, half the birdlife of Germany was pecking at her finger through the wooden bars.