noun
definition
A governess; a rectoress.
definition
A flight feather on the tails of birds, used for directional control.
Examples of rectrices in a Sentence
The last six or seven caudal vertebrae coalesce into the pygostyle, an upright blade which carries the rectrices.
Caudal vertebrae more than thirteen, without a pygostyle, but with about twelve pairs of rectrices.
The tail, in most species very short, has in others the middle feathers much elongated, and in one of the outer rectrices are attenuated and produced into threads.
Europe, and may be readily recognized by the white bars in its wings and by its 16 or occasionally 18 rectrices.
The remiges and rectrices indicate perfect feathers, with shaft and complete vanes which were so neatly finished that they must have possessed typical radii and hooklets.
While all have a general resemblance in the serrated edges of the bill and many other characters, Momotus has the normal number of twelve rectrices, while the rest have only ten, which in Hylomanes have the ordinary configuration, but in adult examples of all the others the shaft of the median pair is devoid of barbs for the space of about an inch a little above the extremity, so as to produce a spatulate appearance, such as is afforded by certain humming-birds known as "racquet-tails" (see HUMMING-BIRD), kingfishers of the genus Tanysiptera (see KINGFISHER), and parrots of the group Prioniturus.