night heron
1
6.8
- noun
- /naɪt ˈhɛrən/
:
garza nocturna
- During our nighttime hike, we spotted a night heron perched quietly on a branch, waiting for its prey.
- crowned night herons
Parents pull their children home The night herons settled into trees.
- Parents pull their children home The night herons settled into trees.
Examples
-
In the evening, we went out to observe the night creatures: the poison dart frog, white caiman, night herons, and numerous other creatures.
Academic text (2005) -
Parents pull their children home The night herons settled into trees.
-
Black-crowned and yellow-crowned night herons can be seen at Shark Valley.
Academic text (2006) -
Squawking night herons became active at dusk, then chirping crickets.
Fiction book (1990) -
At dusk, the night heron emerged from the shadows to hunt along the waterside for fish.
-
Wildlife enthusiasts gathered at the wetlands to observe night herons as they took flight under the moonlight.
Synonyms
A medium-sized bird like a heron with a black crown and grey wings that is active at night
A medium-sized bird that lives by water with a black cap on its head
A medium-sized bird like a heron that is active at night and lives mainly in Asia and Africa
A water bird with a yellow crown that is active at night and lives in marshes near the coast
A night-active wading bird with a yellow crown found in North America
A type of American night heron, such as the yellow-crowned night heron
A heron that hunts at night or at dusk
How Nocturnal
- Specialized
1
6.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'night' (the period of darkness) + 'heron' (a wading bird): a heron active at night or twilight. Noun-noun compounding of this type is cross-linguistically common and follows straightforward semantic composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The name night heron comes from a simple picture: it is a heron that hunts at night or in the evening. That's why the words night and heron mean a heron that is 'active at night'.