Uropygial

Définitions de « uropygial »

Uropygial - Adjectif

• Adjectif désignant ce qui est relatif au croupion, la partie postérieure du corps de certains oiseaux où se situent les glandes sébacées.

  Les plumes lustrées et imperméables des canards doivent leur splendeur à cette petite merveille de la nature que l'on nomme glande uropygiale, discrètement nichée au cœur de leur croupion.

Étymologie de « uropygial »

Citations contenant le mot « uropygial »

• Now, they’ve found evidence that these birds use the same bacteria to protect their young before they’re even born. By filming nesting females, they confirmed that the birds actively paint their eggs with their uropygial secretions.

• Using five to 10 feathers from the dead birds’ necks and cutting out their “dye” secreting uropygial glands, they tested if the sun really did have this bleaching effect on their feathers. They popped a bunch of feathers on the roof while others were kept in the dark and assessed how their color had changed over 40 days.

• Birds look disheveled and unrecognisable as they vigorously clean their plumes. These painting and polishing sessions of birds are part of their grooming routines. Most birds do this several times a day. Called preening, it involves digging the bill into the base of the body close to the tail to take out a greasy substance called preen oil from the uropygial gland. Then, the bird sets about coating the feathers with the oil to keep them strong and flexible.

• In addition to the density of the feathers, penguins also use oil from a uropygial gland, sometimes called a preen gland, located at the base of their tail, to preen or waterproof their feathers. "When they're swimming in the ocean, no water ever touches their skin," says O'Dell.

Traductions du mot « uropygial »

Sources et ressources complémentaires

• Définitions du Littré (1872-1877)
• Définitions du Wiktionnaire