The vertebrae of the tail. In birds, the anterior caudal vertebrae fuse with the sacral and lumbar vertebrae and some of the thoracic vertebrae to form the synsacrum; the next four to nine vertebrae articulate freely; and the posterior ones fuse to form the pygostyle (tail bone). Found on https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/bird-academys-a-to-z-glossary-of-bird-ter