Atinga

/əˈtɪŋɡə/ noun

Definition

A South American bird of the antbird family, known for following army ants to catch insects.

Etymology

From Tupi or another indigenous South American language, borrowed into English through naturalists' descriptions of Brazilian wildlife. The word refers specifically to birds that exhibit the behavior of following ant swarms.

Kelly Says

The atinga is a master of opportunity—it's evolved to depend on following army ants, knowing that the ants will flush out insects that it can snatch; borrowing indigenous names for animals helped European scientists catalog the incredible biodiversity they encountered.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.