also: ちょうえい
shadow of a bird; sighting of a bird
Literary or poetic word for a bird's shadow or the fleeting glimpse of a bird. Not an everyday term.
A bird's shadow flitted across the evening sky for an instant.
森の中で鳥影を見つけたが、すぐに見えなくなった。
I caught sight of a bird in the forest, but it quickly disappeared.
Standard kanji spelling for the reading とりかげ.
Rare on'yomi reading; learners should use とりかげ.
Compound of 鳥 (bird) and 影 (shadow). The reading とりかげ is the standard kun'yomi combination; ちょうえい is a rare on'yomi reading.