mantling

This gesture is called “mantling,” and it’s a fine description of reading Mantel’s work.

As he gobbled the bloody morsel, he spread his wings, fanned his tail and arched his body over the food — an instinct known as mantling, protecting the prey from other predators.

The hawklet then covered the entire meal with his wings, a behavior known as mantling, which hawks employ to hide their kills from other birds of prey who might be flying by.

He saw the superb polish, the fresh padding, and the new mantling set behind.

Still, there’s something undeniably cathartic about gliding along ramps that feel like racetrack curves, mantling and vaulting between platforms while dispatching bad guys with the panache of a boss.