Definition of "pygostyle" []

• The plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds, formed from fused vertebrae. (noun)

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• "Could you please distinguish between the pygostyle and the cloaca?"
• "This is one of my papers: "A pygostyle from a non-avian Theropod.""
• "The politically (and anatomically) correct term is pygostyle -- literally rump post -- for the structure of fused vertebra that anchors the turkey's magnificent tail feathers (rectrices) and also harbors the uropygial gland, source of preen oil, the yummy fat the bird uses to groom its plumage."