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Glite Dictionary
stonechat

stonechat

1 8.6
A small bird with a black head and rusty brown breast found in open fields in Europe
  • noun
  • /ˈstəʊnˌtʃæt/
  • UK
: tarabilla
  • In the early morning, the stonechat sang melodiously among the wildflowers.

Examples

  • The male stonechat has striking black plumage and a distinctive reddish-brown breast.

  • The birds of the forestlands, woodlarks and stonechats, were replaced by sedge warblers and reed buntings who loved the riverside.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I spotted a stonechat perched on a fence post while walking through the fields.

Surface Forms

stonechat singular
stonechats plural

Morphology

stonechat = stone + chat (semi-transparent) = stone + chat

The compound is clearly formed from 'stone' + 'chat', but the specific lexicalized meaning 'a particular small bird species' is a named species and may not be fully predictable by learners from the parts alone.

Etymology

Stonechat is made of stone and chat. These small birds often sit on stones and their short call sounds like two stones being tapped or a quick 'chat', so the name tells you where the bird sits and the sound it makes.