canvasback duck

8.1

A large wild North American duck with a sloping profile and red head prized by hunters for its meat

noun
/ˈkænvəsˌbæk dʌk/

: pato de espalda de lienzo

We spotted a flock of canvasback ducks swimming near the lake shore early this morning.

Examples

The canvasback duck is known for its striking appearance.
During migration, large numbers of canvasback ducks gather on freshwater marshes and ponds.
The canvasback duck is prized by hunters for its distinctive flavor and game qualities.
Many hunters seek the canvasback duck during the season.
The chef prepared a delicious meal using canvasback duck as the main ingredient.
During the hunting trip, they spotted several canvasback ducks flying over the lake.
He always looked forward to the season when he could hunt canvasback ducks for their rich flavor.

Synonyms

canvasback

vscanvasback duck

1 8.8

A large North American duck with a red head often hunted for food

is the longer expression that includes the animal noun rather than the short name

Aythya valisineria

vscanvasback duck

Specialized

9.9

A large North American wild duck called the canvasback with a reddish head and a long sloping beak

is the everyday name used in common speech rather than the scientific designation

Surface Forms

canvasback duck singular

canvasback ducks plural

Morphology

canvasback + duck

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'canvasback' names a particular kind of duck and 'duck' is the head noun, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to that species of duck. This modifier+noun type-of pattern is a common, predictable naming convention cross-linguistically, making the expression transparent.

Etymology

Canvasback duck may come from the bird's pale, smooth rear that reminded early hunters of old 'canvas' cloth, so they called its back a canvas. That's why the words canvas and back together became the name for this North American duck.