sand grouse
- noun
- UK
:
ganga de arena
- "Now that our usual airdrop has failed us, now that our tiny footprints might as well be the tracks of your favorite little sand grouse, Ticky Ticky, isn't that his name, Ramon?
Examples
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In the early morning light, a flock of sand grouse gracefully soared over the dry plains.
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During our desert trek, we encountered several sand grouse feeding quietly on seeds.
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The children were excited to spot a sand grouse resting near the cool water source.
Synonyms
A bird like a pigeon that lives in dry desert areas with long pointed wings
A bird that lives in dry places in Europe and Africa with long middle tail feathers
A bird with long middle tail feathers that lives in Europe and Africa
A bird with very long middle tail feathers
A bird that lives in dry open places in India
A bird that lives in dry areas of Europe and Asia with a black patch on its belly
A bird with bright patterned feathers that lives in dry parts of India
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'sand' (a habitat/substrate) with 'grouse' (a type of bird), so the sense 'a bird associated with sandy or arid areas' is directly inferable from the constituents. This follows a common noun+noun compounding pattern (habitat + animal) found cross-linguistically, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Sand grouse comes from the bird's home and its look: sand for the dry places it lives, and grouse because people thought it was like a 'pigeon-like' ground bird. These birds fly long distances to bring water to their chicks, so the name helps you remember it is a dry-land bird that looks and acts like a pigeon.