brant goose
- noun
- US
:
ganso brant
- The brant goose is known for its distinctive dark plumage and white neck patch.
Examples
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Flocks of brant geese can be seen along the Atlantic coast in winter.
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I spotted a brant goose on the lake yesterday.
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During migration, brant geese travel thousands of miles between their breeding and wintering grounds.
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The brant goose is known for its distinctive black head.
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During migration, brant geese travel thousands of miles between their breeding and wintering grounds.
-
Flocks of brant geese can be seen along the Atlantic coast in winter.
-
The brant goose is known for its distinctive dark plumage and white neck patch.
Synonyms
3
9.3
A small dark goose that breeds in the far north and flies south for the winter
A small dark goose that breeds in the Arctic and flies south for the winter
A small dark goose that breeds in the Arctic and flies south in winter
A small dark-bellied wild goose that lives on Arctic and temperate coasts
A small dark bird that lives on northern coasts and eats sea plants
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun compound where 'brant' specifies a particular kind and 'goose' names the animal, so the meaning 'a species of goose' is directly derivable from the constituents. The species+animal compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Brant goose may come from an old word brant meaning 'burnt', because the bird's dark feathers looked as if they had been burned. So the name now refers to a small, dark type of goose.