A small, delicate butterfly with thin hair-like marks or streaks on its wings, belonging to the family Lycaenidae.
Compound of 'hair' and 'streak,' describing the fine line-like markings that characterize these small butterflies. Named by naturalists for the distinctive pattern on their wing undersides.
Hairstreak butterflies have evolved fake 'tails' with eye-spots on their hind wings that distract predators—birds attack the decoy tail instead of the head, and the butterfly escapes with just a torn wing rather than becoming lunch.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.