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Glite Dictionary
Wilson's phalarope

Wilson's phalarope

9.9
A small North American shorebird that moves south for winter
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪlsənz ˈfæl.ə.roʊp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : falaropo de Wilson
  • During migration, hundreds of Wilson's phalaropes can be seen at prairie lakes.

Examples

  • We spotted a Wilson's phalarope feeding along the edge of the marsh.

  • The striking colors of the female Wilson's phalarope make it unique among shorebirds.

  • Look at that Wilson's phalarope swimming gracefully!

  • I spotted a Wilson's phalarope near the lake.

  • During migration, hundreds of Wilson's phalaropes can be seen at prairie lakes.

  • The striking colors of the female Wilson's phalarope make it unique among shorebirds.

  • We spotted a Wilson's phalarope feeding along the edge of the marsh.

Synonyms

Steganopus tricolor
vsWilson's phalarope
  • Specialized
9.9

A small shorebird that breeds on the northern Great Plains of Canada

is the common name and mentions migration to South America

Surface Forms

Wilson's phalarope singular

Morphology

Wilson's + phalarope

The phrase is compositional: 'Wilson's' is a possessive/eponym indicating association with a person named Wilson and 'phalarope' denotes a small swimming shorebird, so a learner who knows both parts would infer it is a particular species of bird. While detailed information about breeding range and migration cannot be derived from the words alone, the basic meaning 'a kind of bird associated with Wilson' is immediately recoverable.

Etymology

Wilson's phalarope is named for a 19th-century bird watcher, Alexander Wilson, and the word phalarope describes small water birds with lobed toes. These birds often 'spin' in the water to bring up food, so the name points both to the man who first described it and to the bird's water-feeding habit.