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Glite Dictionary
adjutant bird

adjutant bird

9.9
A large stork that stands tall and walks upright in India
  • noun
  • /ˈædʒʊtənt bɜrd/
  • Indian
translation icon : ave adjutante
  • The adjutant bird is easily recognized in India by its tall stance and bare head.

Examples

  • We spotted an adjutant bird wading through the marshes near the village.

  • The zoo recently welcomed a pair of adjutant birds to their new aviary.

  • The adjutant bird stood majestically by the river.

  • Look at that adjutant bird walking so gracefully!

  • The adjutant bird is easily recognized in India by its tall stance and bare head.

  • The zoo recently welcomed a pair of adjutant birds to their new aviary.

  • We spotted an adjutant bird wading through the marshes near the village.

Synonyms

stork
vsadjutant bird
27 2.3

A large water bird with long legs, a long beak, and white and black feathers

is specifically about a tall Indian species with a military gait
adjutant stork
vsadjutant bird
  • Indian
9.9

A large stork from India that walks upright like a soldier

refers to that species but uses an alternative common label
Leptoptilus dubius
vsadjutant bird
  • Specialized
9.9

A large stork from India that walks with a tall, steady step

uses a common name rather than the scientific designation
adjutant
vsadjutant bird
  • Indian
9.9

A large stork from India with a long neck and upright walk

uses a different common phrasing rather than this shorter label

Surface Forms

adjutant bird singular
adjutant birds plural

Morphology

adjutant + bird

The compound is directly compositional: 'adjutant' specifies a particular type of stork and 'bird' names the animal class, so 'adjutant bird' straightforwardly denotes that bird species. This noun+noun construction follows common cross-linguistic patterns for species names, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Adjutant bird got its name because the big stork walks tall and stiff, and people thought it looked like a military adjutant standing at attention. That's why the name links the bird's formal look to the idea of 'a helper officer'.