avifauna

[ ey-vuh-faw-nuh, av-uh ]

noun

1. the birds of a given region, considered as a whole.

avifauna

/ ˌeɪvɪˈfɔːnə /

noun

1. all the birds in a particular region

Derived Forms

• ˌaviˈfaunal, adjective

Other Words From

• avi·faunal adjective
• avi·faunal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of avifauna¹

First recorded in 1870–75; avi- + fauna

Example Sentences

"Decline of the North American avifauna," a study released on Thursday in the journal Science, found that the continent has seen a net loss of 2.9 billion birds since 1970.

From Salon

Aeronautics, dinosaur locomotion and migration have all drawn hugely from the study of avifauna, and human culture has embraced the winged beasts as a potent metaphor for transformation.

From Nature

That group is effectively a death squad for songbirds, killing an estimated 4 billion US avifauna a year; globally, island cats drive 14% of vertebrate extinctions.

From Nature

The high number of species and the ecological diversity observed in the Messel avifauna resembles that of a modern tropical forest.

From The Guardian

North America’s avifauna may well become more diverse.

From The New Yorker