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Glite Dictionary
carinate bird

carinate bird

6.9
A bird with a raised ridge on its breastbone that holds strong wing muscles
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : ave carinata
  • Penguins are an example of a carinate bird, as they possess a distinct keel on their breastbone.

Examples

  • Many carinate birds are known for their exceptional flying abilities.

  • The presence of a keel distinguishes a carinate bird from a ratite bird.

  • Unlike ostriches, every carinate bird is adapted for flight due to its keeled sternum.

  • The carinate bird soared high above the valley.

  • Many species of carinate birds, such as eagles and hawks, are known for their agile flight.

  • A carinate bird like the albatross has strong flight muscles that allow it to soar over long distances.

  • To be classified as a carinate bird, a species must have a keeled breastbone for efficient muscle attachment.

Synonyms

carinate
vscarinate bird
  • Specialized
9.9

A bird with a breastbone ridge that supports flight muscles

is the broader descriptive phrase rather than the formal subclass name

Surface Forms

carinate bird singular
carinate birds plural

Morphology

carinate + bird

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'carinate' (= having a keeled sternum) + 'bird' yields 'a bird with a keeled breastbone.' Although 'carinate' is technical, if a learner knows the constituent meanings the overall sense is directly derivable and follows a common cross-linguistic property-description pattern.

Etymology

Carinate bird comes from the strong keel on the breastbone, a ridge on the chest that holds the big muscles used for flying. So a carinate bird is one with this chest ridge and is made for 'flight' because the keel gives the muscles a place to pull so the bird can fly.