thornbill

/ ˈθɔːnˌbɪl /

noun

1. any of various South American hummingbirds of the genera Chalcostigma, Ramphomicron, etc, having a thornlike bill

2. Also called: thornbill warbler. any of various Australasian wrens of the genus Acanthiza and related genera: family Muscicapidae

3. any of various other birds with thornlike bills

Example Sentences

They attempted to train half the birds to recognise the thornbill’s alarm cry as a warning sound, and the other half to recognise the computer-generated “buzz” as a distress call.

Read more on The Guardian

They attempted to train half the birds to recognize the thornbill’s alarm cry as a warning sound, and the other half to recognize the computer-generated “buzz” as a distress call.

Read more on Seattle Times

The tiny thornbill thus effectively outsmarts its large enemy.

Read more on Scientific American

In response, the thornbill parents imitated alarm calls from between one and four different species, some of which can be heard in this video.

Read more on Science Magazine

One was the alarm cry of an allopatric chestnut-rumped thornbill, a bird not native to Australia.

Read more on Seattle Times