Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Numididae

Numididae

9.9
A group of birds like guinea fowl that live in Africa and Madagascar
  • noun
  • /nuːˈmɪdɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: Numididae
  • The family Numididae includes several species of wild and domesticated guinea fowl.

Examples

  • The Numididae family consists of birds that are native to Africa and Madagascar.

  • Birdwatchers visiting Madagascar may spot rare members of the Numididae family.

  • Studies of Numididae provide insight into the evolutionary history of galliform birds.

  • The Numididae family includes the well-known guinea fowl.

  • Have you ever seen a Numididae in the wild?

  • Birdwatchers visiting Madagascar may spot rare members of the Numididae family.

  • The family Numididae includes several species of wild and domesticated guinea fowl.

Surface Forms

Numididae singular
Numididae plural

Morphology

Numididae = Numida (opaque) = Numida + idae

The suffix '-idae' is a specialized taxonomic marker (family) unfamiliar to average learners, so knowing the base does not let a B1 learner infer 'family of birds'.

Etymology

Numididae comes from Numidia, the name of an ancient land in 'North Africa', and the scientific ending -idae, which means 'family'. So Numididae literally says 'family from Numidia', which fits because it is the bird family that includes guinea fowl and their relatives from Africa.