broadcrested

Broadcrested or broad-crested is an attributive term used in biology to describe organisms that possess a broad crest on the head. The term is not a scientific classification by itself but a descriptive feature that appears in common names across several taxa, most commonly birds. In avian contexts, a crest is a tuft or ridge of feathers on the crown or nape; when described as broad, it indicates a wide or prominent crest compared with other species in the same group. Crests can be erect or flattened and may be involved in display, species recognition, or sexual selection.

The use of broadcrested in common names is not standardized; different authors may apply it to unrelated species that exhibit a broad crest, leading to a non-monophyletic set in common nomenclature. Some broadcrested taxa may show seasonal changes in crest size or rely on crest-based signaling during courtship.

Etymology: "Broad" derives from Old English broad, and "crest" from Latin crista, via later European languages; the hyphenated form broad-crested is common in older texts but both spellings are encountered in modern usage.

See also: Crest (biology), Morphological terms, Common name usage in taxonomy.

Note: Because broadcrested is descriptive rather than a taxonomic rank, it does not convey information about evolutionary relationships.