avian
adjective
avi·an
| \ ˈā-vē-ən
\
\
Definition of avian
: of, relating to, or derived from birds
avian behavior avian species
Examples of avian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2014-2015, repeat outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu struck birds in 223 separate outbreaks across the country. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "Meatless meat is having a moment. Will eggless eggs be next?," 23 July 2019 While the photo appears to portray an awe-inspiring instance of avian camaraderie, the truth of its circumstances are a bit uglier, McCarty said. — Scottie Andrew And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "A blackbird hopped on the back of a bald eagle, but it turns out that it wasn't a joyride," 9 July 2019 In fact, National Geographic’s Greshko writes, fossilized pigment sacs have already been recovered from an array of prehistoric creatures, including non-avian dinosaurs, marine reptiles and various bird species. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Scientists Identify Blue Hues in Fossilized Bird Feathers for the First Time," 28 June 2019 Dealing with the downstream consequences from wind- and solar-farm-caused deaths of avian species, bats and pollinators may be the yet-to-be-quantified and understood hard part. — WSJ, "Plugging in the Wind Is a Complicated Issue," 28 June 2019 Melanosomes have been recovered from many prehistoric creatures, from birds to non-avian dinosaurs and even marine reptiles. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "First blue feathers found on a fossilized bird," 25 June 2019 Finches who win the avian-idol contest are extremely valuable and can sell for upward of $5,000, the complaint reads. — Michael Brice-saddler, courant.com, "Prosecutors: East Hartford man tried to smuggle 34 finches through JFK Airport," 18 June 2019 Wisconsin, with its many lakes and forests, has played a leading role in the species' comeback in the lower 48 states, said Sumner Matteson, a DNR avian ecologist for the last 38 years. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Our national symbol is a soaring conservation success story," 3 July 2019 Almost immediately after it was unveiled with great fanfare by National Geographic, however, the fossil was revealed as a fake, made by combining the bones of a primitive bird with those of a non-avian dinosaur. — Lukas Rieppel, WSJ, "The Problem With Buying Dinosaurs," 21 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'avian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for avian
avian
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of avian
technical
: of or relating to birds
See the full definition for avian in the English Language Learners Dictionary
avian
adjective
avi·an
| \ ˈā-vē-ən
\
\
Medical Definition of avian
: of, relating to, or derived from birds