Melospiza melodia

9.8

The scientific name for the song sparrow, a small North American songbird

noun
/məˈloʊspɪzə məˈloʊdiə/

Specialized

: gorrión cantor

The field guide listed Melospiza melodia as one of the region's most common songbirds.

Examples

Researchers observed the nest-building behavior of Melospiza melodia during the spring season.
Birdwatchers often recognize Melospiza melodia by its distinctive and melodious song.
The Melospiza melodia is known for its beautiful songs.
Have you ever seen a Melospiza melodia in the wild?
Birdwatchers often recognize Melospiza melodia by its distinctive and melodious song.
The field guide listed Melospiza melodia as one of the region's most common songbirds.
Researchers observed the nest-building behavior of Melospiza melodia during the spring season.

Synonyms

song sparrow

vsMelospiza melodia

1 3.1

A small North American bird with brown streaked feathers that sings a clear musical song

is the Latin name used in scientific contexts rather than everyday speech

Surface Forms

Melospiza melodia singular

Melospiza melodia plural

Morphology

Melospiza + melodia

This is a Linnaean (Latin) binomial rather than a compositional English phrase; its meaning ('song sparrow') is encoded in taxonomic/Latin elements rather than following standard English word-combination patterns. Even though 'melodia' resembles English 'melody' and 'Melospiza' relates to songbirds etymologically, these are specialized, language-specific morphemes that a typical B1 learner who merely knows the listed constituents would not reliably interpret. Therefore the expression is not transparently derivable from its parts for most learners.

Etymology

Melospiza melodia comes from old Greek words: melo- meaning 'song', spiza meaning 'finch', and melodia meaning 'melody'. So the name gives a simple picture of a small bird known for its singing, which is why it is the scientific name for the 'song sparrow'.