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Glite Dictionary
red-eyed vireo

red-eyed vireo

7.9
A small North American songbird with red eyes, greenish-grey back and white belly
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛdˌaɪd ˈvɪrɪoʊ/
  • US
translation icon : vireo de ojos rojos
  • During spring migration, birdwatchers flock to see the red-eyed vireo in its natural habitat.

Examples

  • The red-eyed vireo is often seen flitting through the trees in search of insects.

  • Ever see a red-eyed vireo?

    Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

  • I heard a yellow warbler, a house wren, a red-eyed vireo; stray notes of goldfinch.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I spotted a red-eyed vireo singing loudly from a branch in the park.

Synonyms

Vireo olivaceous
vsred-eyed vireo
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American songbird with red eyes, an olive grey back and white belly

is the common English name for the same species

Surface Forms

red-eyed vireo singular
red-eyed vireos plural

Morphology

red-eyed + vireo

The phrase is fully compositional: 'red-eyed' literally means 'having red eyes' and combined with 'vireo' (a bird) yields 'a vireo with red eyes.' This adjective+noun descriptive pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Red-eyed vireo is a simple descriptive name: the parts red and eyed point to the bird's reddish eyes. The word vireo was an old name for small green songbirds, so the whole name just describes how the bird looks.