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Glite Dictionary
Tringa totanus

Tringa totanus

9.9
A bird that walks in shallow water with a brown back and long red legs
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : aguja roja
  • The long red legs help Tringa totanus wade through shallow water to find food.

Examples

  • The Tringa totanus nests in marshes and wet meadows across Europe and Asia.

  • Birdwatchers were excited to spot a rare Tringa totanus among the reeds.

  • I saw a Tringa totanus in the marsh yesterday.

  • The Tringa totanus is known for its long red legs.

  • Birdwatchers were excited to spot a rare Tringa totanus among the reeds.

  • The Tringa totanus nests in marshes and wet meadows across Europe and Asia.

  • The long red legs help Tringa totanus wade through shallow water to find food.

Synonyms

redshank
vsTringa totanus
  • UK
8.4

A wading bird with long red legs and a straight bill

is the formal scientific name used in classification

Surface Forms

Tringa totanus singular
Tringa totanus plural

Morphology

Tringa + totanus

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name: 'Tringa' is a genus label for waders and 'totanus' is a species epithet rather than an English lexical item. Taxonomic names function as arbitrary labels and do not compose to give the common-name meaning, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would not be able to infer 'common redshank'.

Etymology

The name Tringa totanus may come from old words: Tringa from a Greek word for a 'small thrush' that moves on mud, and totanus from a local fishermen's name for the red-legged bird. So the name helps you remember it is a wading bird with long red legs, the 'common redshank'.