tailorbird

/tay"leuhr berrd'/, n.

any of several small Asian passerine birds, esp. of the genus Orthotomus, that stitch leaves together to form and conceal their nests.

[1760-70; TAILOR¹ + BIRD]

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▪ bird

      any of the nine species of the genus Orthotomus, of the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, that sew together the edges of one or more leaves to contain the nest. A tailorbird makes a series of holes with its long slender bill and then draws plant fibre, insect silk, or even stolen household thread through the holes to form separate loops, which are knotted on the outer side.

      The long-tailed tailorbird (O. sutorius) frequents gardens from India to southern China and Java; 13 centimetres (5 inches) long, with narrow tail carried cocked up, it is yellowish-green above and white below, with red-brown cap.

      For other sylviids that sew, see cisticola; prinia; wren-warbler.

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