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Glite Dictionary
family Columbidae

family Columbidae

6.7
A group of birds that includes doves and pigeons
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli kəˈlʌmbɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Columbidae
  • Many species of birds, such as the Mourning Dove, are part of the family Columbidae.

Examples

  • The family Columbidae includes both urban pigeons and wild doves thriving in various habitats.

  • (Both the Zenaida dove and the city, or rock, pigeon—Columba livia—belong to the family Columbidae.)

    Academic text (1996)

  • Researchers study the anatomy and behavior of birds within the Columbidae family.

Synonyms

Columbidae
vsfamily Columbidae
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A family of birds that includes pigeons and doves

is more specific by naming the bird order containing that group

Surface Forms

family Columbidae singular
families Columbidae plural

Morphology

family + Columbidae

The phrase combines the noun 'family' (a taxonomic grouping) with the taxonomic name 'Columbidae'; if a learner knows both constituents the meaning is directly compositional — the family called Columbidae (doves and pigeons). This is a standard, cross-linguistically common noun + taxon-name pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Family Columbidae comes from the Latin word columba, meaning 'dove'. So family Columbidae is the name for the group of birds that are 'doves' and 'pigeons'.