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Glite Dictionary
Ardea occidentalis

Ardea occidentalis

9.9
A large white heron that lives in Florida and the Florida Keys
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Ardea occidentalis
  • The Ardea occidentalis is often seen wading in shallow waters of the Florida Keys.

Examples

  • Unlike other herons, the Ardea occidentalis has pure white plumage.

  • The Ardea occidentalis is often seen near the mangroves.

  • Birdwatchers travel from afar to photograph the rare Ardea occidentalis in its natural habitat.

  • Did you spot an Ardea occidentalis during your trip?

  • Birdwatchers travel from afar to photograph the rare Ardea occidentalis in its natural habitat.

  • The Ardea occidentalis is often seen wading in the shallow waters of the Florida Keys.

  • Unlike other herons, the Ardea occidentalis has striking pure white plumage.

Synonyms

great white heron
vsArdea occidentalis
  • US
7.4

A large white bird with long legs that lives in wet places in southern Florida and the Caribbean

is accepted as a distinct species rather than a variant

Surface Forms

Ardea occidentalis singular
Ardea occidentales plural

Morphology

Ardea + occidentalis

This is a Latin binomial: 'Ardea' names a genus of herons so the first element signals a bird, but the second element is a Latin adjective (occidentalis, ‘western’) not in the learner’s dictionary entry and thus may not be known to an average B1 learner. Some learners (especially speakers of Romance languages) could infer a ‘western heron’ sense from the cognate, but the scientific name and lack of everyday lexical transparency mean the exact species meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Ardea occidentalis comes from Latin words that describe the bird: Ardea means 'heron' and occidentalis means 'western'. So the name is like 'western heron' and fits this large white heron that lives in Florida and the Keys.