Decumbent

According to an anecdote, a Hungarian ornithologist was invited to give a lecture on his field in East Germany, and a Hungarian student who studied there was asked to interpret. The lecture started, the first picture was shown, with the following words: "This is a hoopoe with perching legs and a double-feathered crest that can be made erect or decumbent.” The explanation was followed by an awkward silence and after long, painful minutes, the interpreter started to speak: “Vogel!” (bird).