Wiktionary

eyestripe

See also: eye-stripe

English edit

WOTD – 12 October 2019

Etymology edit

 
An eyestripe can be seen clearly on the face of this mhorr, a subspecies of dama gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr), at the Louisville Zoo in Louisville, Kentucky, USA
 
This blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus chrysocerus), seen in Senegal, has prominent eyestripes

From eye +‎ stripe.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

eyestripe (plural eyestripes)

  1. (zoology) A stripe on each side of the head of an animal that includes the eye, and is of a different colour from the rest of the head; in particular (ornithology) such a stripe on each side of the head of some birds.
    Synonym: eyeline
    • 1806, Charles Linné [i.e., Carl Linnaeus], “Order V. Pecora.”, in William Turton, transl., A General System of Nature, through the Three Grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals: […] In Seven Volumes, volumes I (Animal Kingdom.—Mammalia. Birds. Amphibia. Fishes.), London: Printed for Lackington, Allen, and Co. […], →OCLC, section 38 (Antilope), page 112:
      Dama. [i.e., the dama gazelle] Horns hooked forward at the ends; body white; dorſal and eye-ſtripes tawny.
    • 1812, George Shaw, General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History, volume VIII, part 1 (Aves), London: Printed for Kearsley, Wilkie and Robinson, [et al.], →OCLC, page 174:
      MALIMBA BEE-EATER. [...] Cinereo-violaceous Bee-Eater, sanguine rose-coloured beneath, with black eye-stripe, white throat, and two lengthened tail-feathers.
    • 1891, Charles Dixon, “Ramble VI. By Lakes and Streams.”, in The Birds of Our Rambles: A Companion for the Country, London: Chapman and Hall, Limited, →OCLC, page 130:
      These two birds somewhat closely resemble each other, but the Sedge Warbler is russet-brown above, the feathers with dark centres, the pale buff eyestripe is very clearly defined, and the underparts are buffish white; the Reed Warbler is more olive on the upper parts, the feathers having no dark centres, the underparts are more inclined to buff, and the eyestripe is nearly obsolete.
    • 1993, E. Curio, “Proximate and Developmental Aspects of Antipredator Behavior”, in Advances in the Study of Behavior, volume 22, San Diego, Calif., London: Academic Press, →ISBN, →ISSN, →OCLC, section II (Causal Aspects of Enemy Recognition), page 150:
      The plumage pattern of the red-backed shrike male is conspicuous from a long distance. This pattern, not the feathering, is all-important since a plain plastic model is as effective as a stuffed mount in eliciting mobbing by pied flycatchers. Removal of the conspicuous eye stripe (including the equally dark eye) renders the model almost ineffective […].
    • 2009, James Gurney, “Dinosaurs”, in Imaginative Realism: How to Paint what Doesn’t Exist, Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel Publishing, →ISBN, page 94, column 1:
      Once in a while a design feature shows up in animals that are not closely related. A good example is the eyestripe coloration pattern, which appears in sparrows, antelopes, and chipmunks. In all these creatures, a dark facial stripe runs from the snout to the eye. [...] Presumably eyestripes serve as protective coloration in all these prey animals, disguising their eyes from predators.
    • 2014, Keith Vinicombe, “Topographical Tips”, in The Helm Guide to Bird Identification: An In-depth Look at Confusion Species, London: Christopher Helm, →ISBN, page 14:
      The eye-stripe is exactly that: a stripe through the eye. When present, this is a dark line that usually extends from the bill back through the eye. On some birds, it extends just from the eye back, leaving the lores (the area between the eye and the bill) pale and unmarked.

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