podotheca

English

Etymology

podo- +‎ theca

Noun

podotheca (plural podothecae)

  1. (zoology) The scaly or skin covering of the foot of a bird or animal.
    • 1903, Elliott Coues, Key to North American Birds:
      Unlike the sheath of the bill, the podotheca is never simple and continuous, being divided and subdivided in various ways.
    • 1912, Joel Asaph Allen, Historical and Nomenclatorial Notes on North American Sheep, page 262:
      The character of the tarsal podotheca is a useful generic character but too variable to use in delimiting the subfamilies .
    • 2013, Donald S. Farner, ‎ James R. King, Avian Biology: Volume II, page 47:
      In different kinds of birds, the podotheca begins on the tibiotarsus (shank), on the ankle, or at some more distal level; it extends to the tips of the toes.

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