Sula bassana
- noun
- Archaic
:
sula bassana
- The distinctive black wing tips make Sula bassana easy to identify at sea.
Examples
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Large colonies of Sula bassana can be found nesting on the cliffs of the North Atlantic.
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Researchers observed the migration patterns of Sula bassana over the course of the year.
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The Sula bassana is a majestic seabird.
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Have you ever seen a Sula bassana up close?
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Large colonies of Sula bassana can be found nesting on the cliffs of the North Atlantic.
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Researchers observed the migration patterns of Sula bassana over the course of the year.
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The distinctive black wing tips make Sula bassana easy to identify at sea.
Synonyms
A large white sea bird called the northern gannet that lives by North Atlantic coasts
A large white sea bird with black wing tips that dives for fish
A large white seabird with black-tipped wings that dives for fish
Surface Forms
Morphology
Sula + bassana
This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) whose constituents do not transparently yield the everyday English description provided; 'bassana' is not a known English word and even 'Sula' as a genus name (boobies) does not directly communicate the specific species or its visible features. Scientific names are conventional labels requiring specialist knowledge, so a B1 learner who merely knows the surface constituents would not be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Sula bassana is the Latin name for the big white seabird called the 'northern gannet'. The part Sula was an old word for diving sea birds and bassana may come from Bass Rock, a famous cliff where many of these birds nest, so the name brings to mind a large white bird that dives and nests on cliffs.
