ear tuft

American

noun

a tuft of long feathers above the eyes of some owls and other birds that becomes erect when the bird is excited or afraid but is not used in hearing.

Example Sentences

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We kept repositioning as we searched for an identifying feature—an ear tuft, or some other field mark that would give away the species.

From Slate • Feb. 11, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023