Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Zonotrichia leucophrys

Zonotrichia leucophrys

9.9
A small North American sparrow with bold black and white stripes on its head
  • noun
  • /zoʊnəˈtrɪkiə luˈkoʊfrɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Zonotrichia leucophrys
  • The Zonotrichia leucophrys is easily recognized by the bold stripes on its head.

Examples

  • Birdwatchers often seek out the Zonotrichia leucophrys during migration season.

  • I spotted a Zonotrichia leucophrys in my backyard.

  • A Zonotrichia leucophrys was spotted at the edge of the forest yesterday.

  • Look! A Zonotrichia leucophrys just landed on that branch!

  • Birdwatchers often seek out the Zonotrichia leucophrys during migration season.

  • The Zonotrichia leucophrys is easily recognized by the bold stripes on its head.

  • I spotted a Zonotrichia leucophrys in my backyard.

Synonyms

white-crowned sparrow
vsZonotrichia leucophrys
  • US
7.5

A small North American songbird with a black-and-white striped head

is the formal scientific species name used in taxonomy rather than the common name

Surface Forms

Zonotrichia leucophrys singular
Zonotrichia leucophrys plural

Morphology

Zonotrichia + leucophrys

This is a Latin taxonomic binomial (scientific name) rather than a compositional English phrase; such names function as proper nouns and do not follow ordinary English word-formation patterns. One constituent ('leucophrys') has no dictionary gloss here and even if learners knew 'Zonotrichia' = a group of sparrows, a B1 learner would not be able to derive the species meaning ('white-crowned sparrow') from the parts, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Zonotrichia leucophrys comes from Greek words: Zonotrichia means 'striped hair' and leucophrys means 'white eyebrow'. So the name shows a sparrow with a bold white stripe on its head, which is why we call it the 'White-crowned Sparrow'.