aguzanieves

white wagtail (Motacilla alba)

Alteration of Old Spanish auze de nieves (literally “snow bird”), named for its habit of being seen walking in the snow. The first element, auze, is ultimately from a back-formation of Latin avicella (“little bird”), while the second element is inherited from Latin nix (“snow”). The modern spelling, aguzanieves, is likely the result of folk-etymological influence from the verb aguzar (“to sharpen”), reinterpreting the name as "snow-sharpener".