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

Many of the avian species around the Bay breed on or close to the ground, and the cats prey on them at their most vulnerable moments — sitting on their eggs or caring for their young. — David Streitfeld, New York Times, "As Google Feeds Cats, Owl Lovers Cry Foul," 26 May 2018 Officials say the fowl could potentially spread diseases like avian flu, which is why they're banned from coming here. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Customs Officials Seize 70 Finches Crammed into Hair Rollers at John F. Kennedy Airport," 13 Dec. 2018 But without an entire dinosaur genome, genetic gaps would need to be bridged using other DNA—likely with something avian or reptilian. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Five Ways Real Science Would Make the New Jurassic World So Much Better," 12 June 2018 But where did this avian metaphor come from in the first place? — Ben Zimmer, WSJ, "How ‘Lame Duck’ Flew From the Stock Market to Politics," 30 Nov. 2018 That the world’s waterways are overwhelmed with plastic debris that breaks down into microscopic beads, killing off sea and avian life at a terrifying rate. — Steve Friess, SELF, "Why Environmentalist Lizzie Carr Is Paddleboarding 170 Miles Down the Hudson River," 7 Sep. 2018 The area has a surprisingly rich biodiversity of avian species, even attracting bald eagles in winter. — Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, "3 Best Day Trips From Boston," 9 Aug. 2018 In it, Vernon tries hard to entertain a new blue avian friend, unaware that Bird is not sentient but rather a wooden cuckoo fallen from a clock. — New York Times, "Brief Tales for New Readers and Little Listeners From Philip Stead and More," 29 June 2018 Small backyard farms and family farms were nearly all unaffected by avian flu, prompting some to call it essentially a problem of industrial poultry practices. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "How 3.4 million chickens drowned in Hurricane Florence," 24 Sep. 2018

These 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.