Having a beak or bill that is split or cleft, used especially for describing certain birds with deeply forked beaks or mouths.
From Latin 'fissus' (split/cleft) + 'rostrum' (beak/snout) + '-al' (adjective suffix). This ornithological term emerged in the 19th century to classify birds by beak structure.
Swallows, swifts, and nightjars are all fissirostral birds—their deeply forked beaks aren't just for looks, they're shaped for scooping insects straight out of the air while flying!
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