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Glite Dictionary
Struthionidae

Struthionidae

9.9
A family of large flightless birds that includes ostriches
  • noun
  • /struːˈθiːəˌdaɪ/
  • Specialized
: Struthionidae
  • The Struthionidae are distinguished by their long necks and powerful legs.

Examples

  • The Struthionidae family includes the largest living birds on Earth.

  • Did you know that the Struthionidae cannot fly but are excellent runners?

  • Fossil records indicate that Struthionidae once inhabited regions outside Africa.

  • The common ostrich is the only living member of the Struthionidae family.

  • Did you know that Struthionidae are native to Africa?

  • The Struthionidae family includes the largest living birds, such as the common ostrich.

  • The Struthionidae are distinguished by their long necks, which help them see over tall grasses.

Surface Forms

Struthionidae singular
Struthionidae plural

Morphology

Struthionidae = Struthio (opaque) = Struthio + idae

The '-idae' ending is a technical zoological family suffix added to a Latin genus name, which is not meaningful to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word Struthionidae comes from the ancient Greek word strouthion, which meant 'sparrow' but was used for the large bird we call the ostrich. The ending -idae is a name for an animal 'family', so Struthionidae is simply the 'ostrich family', which matches its modern meaning.