Lewis & Short

ālĕs, ālĭtĭs (abl. aliti, Sen. Med. 1014; gen. plur. alitum, Mart. 13, 6, and lengthened alituum, Lucr. 2, 928; 5, 801; 1039; 1078; 6, 1216; Verg. A. 8, 27; Stat. S. 1, 2, 184; Manil. 5, 370; Amm. 19, 2) [ala-ire, as comes, eques, etc., acc. to some; but cf. Corss. Ausspr. II. p. 209], adj. and subst. (poet. and post-Aug. prose).

  1. I. Adj., winged: angues, Pac. ap. Cic. Inv. 1, 19; cf. Mos. Cic. Rep. 3, 9: ales avis, Cic. N. D. 2, 44 (as transl. of the Gr. αἰόλος ὄρνις, Arat. Phaen. 275): equus, i. e. Pegasus, Ov. Am. 3, 12, 24: deus, Mercury, id. M. 2, 714; so also Stat. Th. 4, 605: currus, Sen. Med. 1024: fama, Claud. I. Cons. Stil. 2, 408.
    And with a trope common in all languages, quick, fleet, rapid, swift: rutili tris ignis et alitis Austri, Verg. A. 8, 430: passus, Ov. M. 10, 587: harundo, the swift arrow, Prud. Psych. 323.
  2. II. Subst. com. gen., a fowl, a bird (only of large birds, while volucris includes also insects that fly).
    1. A. Com. gen.: pennis delata, Lucr. 6, 822: exterrita pennis, id. 5, 506: argentea, i. e. the raven before its metamorphosis, Ov. M. 2, 536: superba, the peacock, Mart. 14, 67; 9, 56: longaeva, the phœnix, Claud. 35, 83: famelica, the pigeon-hawk, Plin. 10, 10, 12, § 28.
      On the contr., masc.: Phoebeïus, the raven, Ov. M. 2, 544: albus, the swan, Hor. C. 2, 20, 10: cristatus, the cock, Ov. F. 1, 455 al.
    2. B. Fem., as referring to a female bird: Daulias ales = philomela, Ov. H. 15, 154: exterrita = columba, Verg. A. 5, 505. But ales, i.e. aquila, as the bird of Jove, is sometimes masc.: fulvus Jovis ales, the eagle, id. ib. 12, 247; called also: minister fulminis, Hor. C. 4, 4, 1: flammiger, Stat. Th. 8, 675.
      Also fem.: aetheriā lapsa plagā Jovis ales, Verg. A. 1, 394: regia ales, Ov. M. 4, 362: ales digna Jove, Manil. 1, 443.
    3. C. For a deity as winged, masc.: Cyllenius ales, i.e. Mercury, Claud. 33, 77; or even for men: aureus ales, Perseus, Stat. Th. 1, 544.
    4. D. Ales canorus, a swan, for a poet, Hor. C. 2, 20, 15.
      Also absol. ales: Maeonii carminis ales, of the singer of a Mæonian (Homeric) song, Hor. C. 1, 6, 2 Jahn. (In Ov. M. 5, 298, if ales erant is read, ales is collect.; cf. Schneid. Gr. 2, 240; but the sing. seems to be more in accordance with the preceding hominem putat locutum, she supposing that she heard a man, but it was a bird, and Merkel here reads Ales erat.)
    5. E. In the lang. of augury, alites are birds that gave omens by their flight, as the buteo, sanqualis, aquila, etc. (but oscines, by their voice, as the corvus, cornix, and noctua), Fest. p. 193 (cf. id. p. 3); Cic. N. D. 2, 64, 160: tum huc, tum illuc volent alites: tum a dextrā, tum a sinistrā parte canant oscines, id. Div. 1, 53, 120; cf. Manut. ad Cic. Fam. 6, 6, p. 394; Plin. 10, 19, 22, § 43; Arn. adv. G. 7, 59.
      Hence, poet.: ales, augury, omen, sign: cum bonā nubit alite, Cat. 61, 20: malā soluta navis exit alite, Hor. Epod. 10, 1: secundā alite, id. ib. 16, 23.