Aythya americana
- noun
- /ˈaɪθɪə əˈmɛrɪkən/
- Specialized
:
Aythya americana
- Birdwatchers were thrilled to spot a male Aythya americana with its distinctive reddish-brown head.
Examples
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The Aythya americana is often seen in freshwater lakes across North America during migration.
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Habitat loss has significantly affected the populations of Aythya americana in recent decades.
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The Aythya americana is known for its striking red head.
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Have you ever seen an Aythya americana in the wild?
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Birdwatchers were thrilled to spot a male Aythya americana with its distinctive reddish-brown head.
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The Aythya americana is often seen in freshwater lakes across North America during migration.
-
Habitat loss has significantly affected the populations of Aythya americana in recent decades.
Synonyms
1
9.1
A North American diving duck with a grey body and reddish-brown head
Surface Forms
Morphology
Aythya + americana
This is a standard taxonomic binomial: the genus name 'Aythya' (a diving-duck genus) plus the epithet 'americana' (meaning 'American'). A B1 learner who knows those constituents can infer it denotes the American species of Aythya (i.e., a North American diving duck), and Latin binomial logic is systematic and cross-linguistically recognizable.
Etymology
Aythya americana may come from an old Greek word for a diving bird, with Aythya suggesting a bird that dives and americana meaning 'from America'. So the name gives a simple picture of a duck that dives in North American lakes — the bird we call the 'redhead'.