Turdus philomelos
- noun
- Specialized
:
zorzal cantor
- The Turdus philomelos is easily recognized by its rich, melodious song and distinctive markings.
Examples
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The Turdus philomelos is easily recognized by its brown back and spotted chest.
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Studies have shown that Turdus philomelos adapts well to suburban gardens across Europe.
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Birdwatchers often record the song of Turdus philomelos during spring migrations.
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The Turdus philomelos is often found in gardens.
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Have you ever heard a Turdus philomelos sing?
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Birdwatchers often record the song of Turdus philomelos during spring migrations.
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Have you ever heard a Turdus philomelos sing in the early morning light?
Synonyms
9
9.9
A small brown bird that sings a clear repeating song
1
9.9
A small brown bird with spots on its chest that sings beautifully
A small brown bird that sings short repeated songs
Surface Forms
Morphology
Turdus + philomelos
This is a Latin scientific name composed of a genus and species epithet rather than ordinary English words; neither 'Turdus' nor 'philomelos' is a familiar lexical item to a B1 learner, so the meaning 'song thrush' is not derivable from the parts. Although 'philomelos' contains Greek roots meaning 'lover of song', recognising that requires specialist etymological knowledge beyond B1, making the binomial effectively opaque to typical learners.
Etymology
Turdus philomelos is a scientific name that comes from old Latin and Greek words. Turdus means 'thrush' and philomelos comes from philo ('love') and melos ('song'), so the name paints the bird as a 'lover of song', which fits its beautiful singing.