Podicipedidae

9.9

A family of water birds that dive to catch fish, like grebes

noun
/ˌpɒdɪˈsɪpɪˌdeɪ/

Specialized

: Podicipedidae

The Podicipedidae family includes all known species of grebes.

Examples

Methods of identification for Podicipedidae often involve observing their distinctive plumage and diving behavior.
Conservation efforts have helped stabilize some populations within the Podicipedidae.
The family Podicipedidae includes various species of grebes.
Did you know that Podicipedidae are excellent divers?
Many species of the Podicipedidae family can be seen swimming gracefully on the lake.
The Podicipedidae are known for their unique courtship displays during the breeding season.
Birdwatchers often look for the Podicipedidae due to their distinctive nesting habits.

Synonyms

grebe

vsPodicipedidae

2 9.1

A small water bird that dives for fish and builds floating nests

is the family grouping that includes these birds worldwide

Surface Forms

Podicipedidae singular

Podicipedidae plural

Morphology

Podicipedidae = Podiceps (opaque) = Podiceps + idae

The suffix '-idae' is a specialized scientific taxonomic marker ('family') not recognizable to average learners, so the meaning is not inferable from common English knowledge.

Etymology

Podicipedidae comes from the Latin genus name Podiceps, made of podici- 'back' and -pes 'foot', and the -pes part is the same idea as in pedal ('foot'). Grebes have their legs set far back on their bodies to help them dive, so the family name points to these 'back-foot' diving birds.