Indian grackle
- noun
- /ˈɪndiən ˈɡrækl/
- Indian
:
grackle indio
- The Indian grackle is famous for its ability to mimic a wide range of sounds, including human voices.
Examples
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As a pet, the Indian grackle can learn to repeat simple words and phrases.
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Bird watchers often travel to observe the striking plumage of the Indian grackle in its native habitat.
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The Indian grackle is known for its beautiful plumage.
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Have you ever seen an Indian grackle in the wild?
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As a pet, the Indian grackle can learn to repeat simple words and phrases.
-
The Indian grackle is famous for its ability to mimic a wide range of sounds, including human voices.
-
Bird watchers often travel to observe the striking plumage of the Indian grackle in its native habitat.
Synonyms
1
7.5
A tropical bird from Asia that copies human speech and is often kept as a pet
A large shiny black bird like a starling that can copy human speech
A shiny black bird from Asia that can copy human speech
An Asian glossy black bird that can copy human speech
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of 'Indian' (pertaining to India) + 'grackle' (a glossy starling), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a grackle from India. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift and the adjective+noun referential pattern is cross-linguistically common, making it transparently interpretable.
Etymology
The compound noun Indian grackle combines place and bird: Indian shows where the bird comes from and grackle is an old name for noisy black birds that often copy sounds. One popular idea is that people noticed this glossy Asian starling can 'mimic' human voices, so the name helps us remember it is a black, talkative bird.