white-throated sparrow
- noun
- /ˈwaɪtˌθroʊtɪd ˈspɛroʊ/
- US
:
gorrión de garganta blanca
- Have you seen a white-throated sparrow in the garden?
- white-throated sparrow singing
Examples
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A white-throated sparrow perched on the fence, singing its familiar sweet tune.
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During migration, flocks of white-throated sparrows can often be seen in city parks.
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The distinct song of the white-throated sparrow is a welcome sound in the spring woods.
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The white-throated sparrow is often found in dense thickets.
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While hiking in the forest, I spotted a white-throated sparrow perched on a branch singing sweetly.
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The distinctive song of the white-throated sparrow filled the air on a crisp spring morning.
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During our birdwatching trip, we identified a white-throated sparrow among the trees thanks to its unique throat markings.
Synonyms
A small North American finch with a white throat patch and a striped head
A North American sparrow with a white throat patch and black-and-white striped crown, often called the white-throated sparrow
Surface Forms
Morphology
white-throated + sparrow
The phrase is a straightforward descriptive compound: 'white-throated' denotes 'having a white throat' built from white + throat + adjectival -ed, and 'sparrow' is a familiar small songbird, so the whole phrase denotes a sparrow with a white throat. This compositional adjective+noun pattern is common and predictable (and mirrored in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily understand it.
Etymology
The name white-throated sparrow describes a small sparrow with a white patch on its throat, so people called it white-throated. That's why the name means 'a sparrow with a white throat'.
