I'm an English student and I'm doing a reading excercise in which it appears this word; giltwinged. I know that the word refers to gold wings, but I'm not sure what it means in the text. The text is talking about hawks. Maybe you can help me.
His children are falling from the sky. He watches from horseback, acres of England stretching behind him; they drop, giltwinged,
each with a blood-filled gaze.
If you could help me, I would be very grateful!
Cecilia