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Glite Dictionary
Anthus pratensis

Anthus pratensis

9.8
A small brown bird that lives in open grassy areas in Europe and Asia
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Anthus pratensis
  • The Anthus pratensis is often seen fluttering low over open fields in the summer.

Examples

  • Ornithologists study the migratory patterns of Anthus pratensis across Europe.

  • Have you ever spotted an Anthus pratensis in the wild?

  • I spotted an Anthus pratensis while hiking in the Scottish Highlands.

  • The Anthus pratensis is often seen in grassy fields.

  • I spotted an Anthus pratensis while hiking in the Scottish Highlands.

  • Ornithologists study the migratory patterns of Anthus pratensis across Europe.

  • The Anthus pratensis is often seen fluttering low over open fields in the summer.

Synonyms

meadow pipit
vsAnthus pratensis
  • UK
8.2

A small brown and white songbird that lives in open grasslands and sings a thin high song

is the formal scientific name used mainly in scientific contexts

Surface Forms

Anthus pratensis singular
Anthus pratenses plural

Morphology

Anthus + pratensis

This is a Latin taxonomic binomial combining the genus Anthus (pipits) with the species epithet pratensis, which in Latin means 'of the meadow' — so if a learner truly knows both constituents and understands taxonomic Latin they can infer 'meadow pipit'. However the epithet is morphological/Latin and the construction is technical; it is not fully predictable or immediately accessible to an average B1 learner without specialist or Latin knowledge.

Etymology

Anthus pratensis comes from Latin: Anthus meant a small bird and pratensis means 'meadow', so the name creates the image of a little bird in the grass. That is why it refers to the bird we now call the 'meadow pipit'.