A small bird or insect that lives among hedgerows and extracts food by moving along branches and twigs.
A compound of 'hedge' and 'taper' (to move in a tapering or gradual fashion), likely from Old English origins referring to creatures that navigate hedge structures in a narrow, deliberate manner.
While rarely used in modern English, this word captures how people once gave specific names to creatures based on exactly how they moved through their preferred habitat—it's like a behavior-based taxonomy.
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