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Glite Dictionary
family Turdidae

family Turdidae

1 8.9
A family of songbirds that includes robins and bluebirds
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli ˈtɜrdɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Turdidae
  • The family Turdidae includes familiar birds such as robins and bluebirds.

Examples

  • Many birds in the family Turdidae are known for their beautiful songs.

  • Scientists have studied the migration patterns of several species within the family Turdidae.

  • Many ornithologists debate whether the family Turdidae should be classified separately or as part of Muscicapidae.

  • The family Turdidae includes various species of thrushes.

  • Many birds in the family Turdidae are known for their beautiful songs.

  • The family Turdidae includes familiar birds such as robins and bluebirds.

  • Scientists have studied the migration patterns of several species within the family Turdidae.

Synonyms

Turdidae
vsfamily Turdidae
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A family of medium-sized songbirds like robins and nightingales

is the same but emphasizes them as songbirds in classification
Turdinae
vsfamily Turdidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of birds in the thrush family, like robins

treats them at a higher taxonomic rank instead of a lower one
subfamily Turdinae
vsfamily Turdidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of birds like thrushes that some scientists use to sort birds

treats them as a family-level group rather than a lower rank

Surface Forms

family Turdidae singular
families Turdidae plural

Morphology

family + Turdidae

The phrase simply combines the common noun 'family' (a taxonomic grouping) with the taxonomic name 'Turdidae', so its meaning — the family named Turdidae, i.e. thrushes — is directly recoverable from the constituents. This naming pattern is a regular, cross-linguistic way to refer to biological families, making the expression transparent to learners who know both words.

Etymology

Family Turdidae comes from the old Latin word 'turdus', which meant 'thrush', a small singing bird. Scientists add the ending -idae to show a family group, so family Turdidae simply names the group of thrush-like songbirds, which is why it includes robins and bluebirds today.