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Glite Dictionary
Alectura lathami

Alectura lathami

9.9
A large black bird from Australia and New Guinea that lives in forests
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Alectura lathami
  • The Alectura lathami is a common sight in the forests of eastern Australia.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the nesting habits of the Alectura lathami to better understand its reproductive behavior.

  • Birdwatchers traveled to New Guinea hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare Alectura lathami in its natural habitat.

  • Birdwatchers traveled to New Guinea hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare Alectura lathami.

  • The Alectura lathami is a fascinating bird.

  • Look at that Alectura lathami!

  • Researchers studied the nesting habits of the Alectura lathami to better understand its role in the ecosystem.

  • The Alectura lathami is often found foraging for food in the forests of eastern Australia.

Synonyms

brush turkey
vsAlectura lathami
  • Australian
9.7

A large black bird that builds big nesting mounds in the woods of Australia and New Guinea

is the species name that highlights its Australian common name

Surface Forms

Alectura lathami singular
Alectura lathamies plural

Morphology

Alectura + lathami

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) composed of a genus label and a specific epithet, neither of which conveys the common meaning 'Australian brush-turkey' to an average B1 learner. Taxonomic names are arbitrary labels in many languages and the constituent forms here do not allow derivation of the bird species or its characteristics, so the meaning is not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Alectura lathami is a scientific name made of two parts. The first part, Alectura, comes from a Greek word for 'rooster' because the bird looks like a big fowl, and the second part, lathami, is 'named after' the English bird expert John Latham, so the name points to this large black Australian brush-turkey.