Plural of gralla; in zoology, a suborder of wading birds that stand on long, thin legs to hunt in water.
From Latin 'grallae' meaning stilts or stilt-walkers; derived from 'grallator' (one who walks on stilts). The scientific term was adopted by naturalists in the 17th-18th centuries to describe long-legged water birds.
Zoologists borrowed the Latin word for 'stilts' to name wading birds because their incredibly long, thin legs make them look like they're walking on wooden stilts through shallow water.
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