Clangula hyemalis
- noun
- Specialized
:
Clangula hyemalis
- Unlike many ducks, Clangula hyemalis dives deep underwater to forage for food.
Examples
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The Clangula hyemalis is often seen in large flocks along Arctic coastlines during the summer.
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The Clangula hyemalis is often seen in coastal waters during winter.
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Bird watchers were delighted to spot a rare Clangula hyemalis in the harbor this winter.
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Did you spot a Clangula hyemalis at the lake yesterday?
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Bird watchers were delighted to spot a rare Clangula hyemalis in the harbor this winter.
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The Clangula hyemalis is often seen in large flocks along Arctic coastlines during the summer.
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Unlike many ducks, Clangula hyemalis dives deep underwater to forage for food.
Synonyms
A sea duck with a long tail and black and white feathers
A sea duck with a long tail found in northern North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
Clangula + hyemalis
This is a Latin scientific binomial rather than a compositional English phrase, so its meaning (a particular species of sea duck) is an arbitrary taxonomic label rather than a predictable combination of English words. The constituents are a genus name and a Latin epithet (with 'hyemalis' not given in the learner dictionary), so a B1 learner who 'knows' the parts would not reliably infer the species meaning; scientific names are language-neutral labels and are opaque to typical learners.
Etymology
Clangula hyemalis comes from Latin words: Clangula may mean a 'noisy' little bird and hyemalis means 'of winter'. So the name fits the long-tailed duck because it makes loud calls and is often seen in cold northern waters in winter.
