flitillary n.— «The erratic, zigzagging flight of courting and songbird-evading fritillaries prompt some people to refer to them as “flitillaries.” Actually, the genus name probably derives from fritillus, a cylindrical cup used by the...
sky island n.— «It’s a difficult bird to study because it’s distributed across a fragmented range of mountaintops which we sometimes refer to as “sky islands.”» —“Researchers work to ensure survival of a rare...