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Glite Dictionary
yellowlegs

yellowlegs

9.6
A bird that lives by the water with long bright yellow legs and spotted feathers
  • noun
  • /ˈjɛloʊˌlɛɡz/
  • US
translation icon : pierna amarilla
  • We spotted a group of yellowlegs wading in the shallow water at the coastal marsh.

Examples

  • At the wildlife reserve, several yellowlegs were foraging for food along the muddy shoreline.

  • The Indigo Buntings and Lesser Yellowlegs were photographed at Huntley Meadows Park.

    Blog text (21)

  • The birdwatchers were excited to see the yellowlegs as they searched for nests in the grass.

Surface Forms

yellowlegs singular
yellowlegs plural

Morphology

yellowlegs = yellow + leg (transparent) = yellow + legs

The bird name is a straightforward descriptive compound formed from 'yellow' + 'legs', so learners who know both words can infer the reference to long yellow legs.

Etymology

Yellowlegs is made from two common words, yellow and legs, so it literally names birds with bright yellow legs. That's why the greater and lesser yellowlegs are easy to spot on shores by their long yellow legs.