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Glite Dictionary
Icteria virens

Icteria virens

9.9
A large North American songbird with a bright yellow breast that copies other birds' songs
  • noun
  • /ɪkˈtɛr.i.ə vaɪˈrɛnz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Icteria virens
  • The Icteria virens is remarkable for its wide repertoire of imitated bird calls.

Examples

  • Birdwatchers often look for the Icteria virens during spring migration in North America.

  • The Icteria virens is often found in dense shrubs.

  • Researchers tracked the movements of Icteria virens to study habitat preferences.

  • Look at that Icteria virens!

  • Birdwatchers often look for the Icteria virens during spring migration in North America.

  • The Icteria virens is remarkable for its wide repertoire of imitated bird calls.

  • The Icteria virens is often found in dense shrubs.

Synonyms

yellow-breasted chat
vsIcteria virens
  • Specialized
8.2

A large North American bird that sings and often copies other birds, with a green back and bright yellow breast

is the scientific name used in formal contexts for that same bird

Surface Forms

Icteria virens singular

Morphology

Icteria + virens

This is a Latin scientific name (binomial) rather than a compositional English phrase; knowing the genus label 'Icteria' and an unknown element 'virens' would not allow a B1 learner to infer the species' common name or descriptive meaning. Scientific names function as arbitrary taxonomic labels and are language-specific knowledge, so the overall meaning is not derivable from the constituents for most learners.

Etymology

Icteria virens may come from old words: Icteria for 'yellow' and virens for 'green'. Picture a yellow-green bird with a bright yellow breast that often copies other birds, and that image helps explain why this name is used for the bird called the 'yellow-breasted chat'.