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Glite Dictionary
widow bird

widow bird

9.8
A mostly black African bird whose male has very long tail feathers
  • noun
  • South African
translation icon : pájaro viuda
  • The male widow bird displays his long tail feathers during mating season.

Examples

  • We spotted a widow bird perched on a branch in the African savanna.

  • The remarkable appearance of the widow bird makes it popular among birdwatchers.

  • The widow bird is often seen in the savannah.

  • Many widow birds migrate during the dry season.

  • The male widow bird displays his striking long tail feathers while courting a female.

  • Birdwatchers often travel to see the beautiful widow bird known for its elaborate plumage.

  • In the early morning, we spotted a widow bird gracefully flying across the African landscape.

Synonyms

weaver
vswidow bird
1 7.5

A small bird that makes hanging nests from grass and twigs

is mainly black with long male tail rather than primarily a nest builder
whydah
vswidow bird
  • South African
9.9

A small African bird with mostly black feathers and long male tail feathers in breeding season

is known for long male tail feathers generally rather than only during breeding
whidah
vswidow bird
  • South African
9.9

A small African songbird with males that have very long tail feathers

is identified by mostly black plumage and long male tail rather than song
weaverbird
vswidow bird
  • Indian
8.8

A small African or Asian bird that builds woven nests in groups

is mostly black and known for long male tail rather than nest building
weaver finch
vswidow bird
8.4

A small African or Asian bird that makes complex nests from grass and twigs and lives in groups

is mostly black and known for long male tail rather than finch-like nesting
family Ploceidae
vswidow bird
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small birds mainly from Africa that make woven nests

is a single mostly black species known for long male tail not family traits
Java finch
vswidow bird
7.9

A small bird from Indonesia that lives in rice fields and is often kept as a pet

is an African species rather than one native to Indonesia
grass finch
vswidow bird
  • Australian
8.3

A small bright Australian songbird often kept in cages

is mostly black with long male tail rather than bright plumage

Surface Forms

widow bird singular
widow birds plural

Morphology

widow + bird

A B1 learner who knows 'widow' and 'bird' will correctly infer that this refers to a type of bird (the headword is compositional in that sense), but they will not be able to derive the species-specific meaning (mostly black African weaverbird with long tail feathers) from the constituents alone. The human-descriptor + animal naming pattern is partly transparent cross-linguistically, yet the precise features and conventional sense are lexicalized and not predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Widow bird may get its name from the male's all-black look and very long tail feathers, which made people picture a widow in black 'mourning' clothes. That's why widow bird refers to the black African weaver bird whose males show long decorative tail feathers.