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Glite Dictionary
Botaurus stellaris

Botaurus stellaris

9.9
A large shy marsh bird found in Europe and Asia that makes a deep booming call
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : botauro
  • The Botaurus stellaris is rarely seen but often heard in the reed beds of European wetlands.

Examples

  • During breeding season, the distinctive booming call of the Botaurus stellaris echoes across the marshes.

  • Conservation efforts have helped increase the population of Botaurus stellaris in several regions.

  • The Botaurus stellaris is often heard at dusk.

  • In Europe, the Botaurus stellaris is a rare sight.

  • During breeding season, the distinctive booming call of the Botaurus stellaris echoes across the marshes.

  • Conservation efforts have helped increase the population of Botaurus stellaris in several regions.

  • The Botaurus stellaris is rarely seen but often heard in the reed beds of European wetlands.

Synonyms

European bittern
vsBotaurus stellaris
  • UK
9.6

A large brown bird that wades in marshes in Europe and makes a deep booming call

is the formal scientific name and covers the bird's range in Europe and Asia

Surface Forms

Botaurus stellaris singular
Botaurus stellaris plural

Morphology

Botaurus + stellaris

The form is a Linnaean binomial (genus + species epithet), so a learner who knows 'Botaurus' (a genus of large wading birds) can infer that Botaurus stellaris refers to a particular kind of Botaurus — i.e., a bird species. However, the species epithet 'stellaris' is Latin and does not transparently convey the common name 'Eurasian bittern' or the bird's distinctive features, so the exact meaning/details are not predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Botaurus stellaris may come from old words that link the bird's deep, booming call to a bull and its spotted feathers to stars. The part Botaurus suggests a bull-like sound and stellaris means 'star-like', so the name helps you remember the bird by its loud boom and its spotted, 'starry' look.