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Glite Dictionary
🦩 A large white bird 🦩 A white egret
great white heron

great white heron

7.4
A large white bird with long legs that lives in wet places in southern Florida and the Caribbean
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : garza blanca
  • Unlike its cousin the great blue heron, the great white heron has entirely white plumage.

Examples

  • The great white heron is a striking sight in the wetlands of southern Florida.

  • Many birdwatchers travel to Florida to see the great white heron.

  • Birdwatchers eagerly search for the elusive great white heron during migration season.

  • The great white heron is a stunning bird.

  • Birdwatchers eagerly search for the elusive great white heron during migration season.

  • The great white heron is a striking sight in the wetlands of southern Florida.

  • Many birdwatchers travel to Florida to see the great white heron as they admire its beauty.

Synonyms

heron
vsgreat white heron
11 2.0

A large bird with long legs and neck that wades to catch fish

refers to a specific large white regional bird rather than the general wading bird
Ardea occidentalis
vsgreat white heron
  • Specialized
9.9

A large white heron that lives in Florida and the Florida Keys

is treated as a regional variant rather than a distinct scientific species

Surface Forms

great white heron singular
great white herons plural

Morphology

great + white + heron

The meaning is fully compositional: 'great' (very large) + 'white' (color) + 'heron' (a long‑necked bird) directly yields the literal referent of a large white heron. This adjective‑noun combination follows a common descriptive pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can understand the MWE without prior exposure.

Etymology

Great white heron comes from a simple description: it is a very great (big) white heron. Birdwatchers often use the name for a white form or 'variant' of the great blue heron, so the name means 'a large white heron'.