prairie fowl
- noun
- /ˈprɛəri faʊl/
- US
:
ave de la pradera
- The prairie fowl is known for its elaborate mating dance in the spring.
Examples
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The prairie fowl is known for its distinctive mating dance.
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We spotted a flock of prairie fowl near the edge of the grassland at sunrise.
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Habitat loss has contributed to the decline of prairie fowl populations across the Midwest.
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I spotted a prairie fowl while hiking in Montana.
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The prairie fowl is known for its distinctive mating dance, which attracts partners in the spring.
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Many farmers in the Midwest enjoy watching the prairie fowl display their plumage in the fields.
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During our hike, we spotted a prairie fowl hiding in the tall grass, camouflaged against the terrain.
Synonyms
11
8.1
A plump bird with feathered legs found in northern countries and hunted for food
1
8.0
A brown spotted bird that lives in North American grasslands and makes a low booming call during mating
A brown bird with spotted feathers that lives on grasslands in western North America
A large brown bird that lives in North American grasslands and makes loud mating calls
Surface Forms
Morphology
prairie + fowl
The meaning 'a bird native to the prairie' is directly and compositionally derived from 'prairie' (grassland) + 'fowl' (bird). This is a straightforward noun–noun combination referring to a type of bird and follows common cross‑linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
Prairie fowl comes from a simple picture: prairie means open grassland and fowl means bird. So, prairie fowl came to mean 'a brown bird that lives on the grasslands', like the greater prairie chicken.