rasorial

American  

[ruh-sawr-ee-uhl] / rəˈsɔr i əl /

adjective

1. given to scratching the ground for food, as is the habit of chickens and other gallinaceous birds.

2. pertaining to a bird's foot adapted for scratching.

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rasorial British  

/ rəˈsɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. (of birds such as domestic poultry) adapted for scratching the ground for food

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Etymology

Origin of rasorial

First recorded in 1830–40; from New Latin Rasor(es) former name of the order, Late Latin rāsōrēs, plural of rāsor “scratcher, scraper,” from Latin rād(ere) “to scratch, scrape” + -tor noun suffix of agency (with -dt- becoming -s-) + -ial adjective suffix; cf. raze, -tor, -ial

Explanation

Rasorial is a word you might want to know if you like to birdwatch, since it refers to some birds' ability or tendency to scratch the ground for food. In ornithology, rasorial refers to birds like chickens, turkeys, pheasants, and quails. These birds have strong, sturdy legs and blunt claws perfectly designed for scratching at the soil to uncover seeds, insects, or roots. In fact, the term used to refer to birds in the formal taxonomic order called Rasores (the "scratchers"), but that classification is no longer used. While the term is today almost exclusively used for birds, some early naturalists referred to other animals' "rasorial habits," including those of bandicoots, a type of marsupial.

Example Sentences

Two pigeons and four species of quail are all the rasorial birds in the island; the true gallinaceous birds being wholly wanting.

From The History of Tasmania, Volume I by West, John

There is the same need for a substitute for rasorial, which is only applicable to birds.

From Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation by Chambers, Robert

The horse, dog, and a few other rasorial types, noted for their serviceableness to our race, have the indefinite powers in no small endowment. 

From Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation by Chambers, Robert

In the animal kingdom, the mollusca are the rasorial type, which, however, only shews itself there in their soft and sluggish character, and their being very generally edible. 

From Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation by Chambers, Robert

The pheasant family, of this order, includes the most beautiful of the rasorial birds; indeed, some of them may, perhaps, be justly regarded as pre-eminent in this respect over all the rest of their class.

From Sheep, Swine, and Poultry Embracing the History and Varieties of Each; The Best Modes of Breeding; Their Feeding and Management; Together with etc. by Jennings, Robert