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Glite Dictionary
Uria aalge

Uria aalge

9.9
A black-and-white sea bird that nests on rocky cliffs in northern oceans
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : uria aalge
  • The Uria aalge nests in large colonies along rocky cliffs in the North Atlantic.

Examples

  • The Uria aalge is known for its striking black and white plumage.

  • The Uria aalge dives underwater to catch fish and other prey.

  • A sudden decline in fish stock threatens the survival of Uria aalge populations.

  • Researchers studied the migration patterns of the Uria aalge during winter.

  • Have you ever seen a Uria aalge in the wild?

  • The Uria aalge can be found nesting on steep cliffs facing the ocean.

  • Many birdwatchers enjoy observing the Uria aalge during their coastal expeditions.

Synonyms

common murre
vsUria aalge
  • US
1 8.4

A large black and white seabird that nests on cliffs and dives for fish

is the scientific Latin name used in formal contexts

Surface Forms

Uria aalge singular
Uria aalges plural

Morphology

Uria + aalge

This is a scientific Latin binomial (genus + species) rather than a compositional English phrase; the elements 'Uria' and 'aalge' are proper taxonomic labels (and 'aalge' is not a known English word), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent strings would not be able to derive the meaning 'common murre' from them. Taxonomic names are arbitrary labels across languages and thus the referent is not transparently predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Uria aalge is the Latin name given to a cliff‑living seabird and likely comes from old words for a sea bird used by early naturalists. Picture a black-and-white bird crowded on a rocky cliff that dives for fish — that image explains why Uria aalge today means the 'common murre' species.