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Glite Dictionary
northern bobwhite

northern bobwhite

9.2
A small North American bird like a quail that people often hunt
  • noun
  • /ˈnɔrðərn ˈbɑbˌwaɪt/
  • US
translation icon : codorniz norteña
  • The hunter spotted a northern bobwhite hidden among the tall grasses.

Examples

  • The northern bobwhite is a common sight in rural areas.

  • Conservation efforts have helped increase the population of northern bobwhites in recent years.

  • We heard the distinctive call of a northern bobwhite during our morning hike in Tennessee.

  • Many hunters enjoy pursuing the northern bobwhite during the season.

  • The northern bobwhite is a popular game bird that hunters often pursue in the eastern United States.

  • During the fall, many families enjoy watching the northern bobwhite quail flutter through the fields.

  • In rural areas, the call of the northern bobwhite can often be heard echoing at dawn.

Synonyms

bobwhite
vsnorthern bobwhite
  • US
1 9.0

A small North American bird with a loud two-part call that people often hunt for food or sport

emphasizes its broad eastern and central US distribution and game status
Colinus virginianus
vsnorthern bobwhite
  • Specialized
9.9

A small brown ground bird like a quail that lives in eastern and central United States

is the everyday common name used for the same bird
bobwhite quail
vsnorthern bobwhite
  • US
7.6

A small ground bird in North America with a clear whistle of two short notes

focuses more on its wide regional range and popularity as a game bird

Surface Forms

northern bobwhite singular
northern bobwhites plural

Morphology

northern + bobwhite

The expression is fully compositional: 'northern' simply specifies a geographic variety of 'bobwhite', so a learner who knows 'bobwhite' (a quail species) will understand this refers to the bobwhite found in northern regions. The adjective+noun pattern for regional or species variants is regular in English and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning directly derivable by a B1 learner.

Etymology

Northern bobwhite gets its name from the bird's clear two-note call that sounds like the words bob and white. People added 'northern' to show this is the bobwhite found in the northern part of its area, so the name points to this North American ground bird.