Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Auriparus flaviceps

Auriparus flaviceps

9.9
A very small bird with a yellow head that lives in western North America
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Auriparus flaviceps
  • The Auriparus flaviceps is often seen flitting through desert shrubs in search of insects.

Examples

  • Because of its distinctive yellow head, the Auriparus flaviceps is easy to identify among titmice.

  • A birdwatcher was excited to spot an Auriparus flaviceps in Arizona last spring.

  • Look! That tiny bird is an Auriparus flaviceps!

  • The Auriparus flaviceps is often seen flitting among the desert shrubs.

  • A birdwatcher was excited to spot an Auriparus flaviceps in Arizona last spring.

  • Because of its distinctive yellow head, the Auriparus flaviceps is easy to identify among titmice.

  • The Auriparus flaviceps is often seen flitting through desert shrubs in search of insects.

Synonyms

verdin
vsAuriparus flaviceps
  • US
9.9

A very small songbird with a yellow head and gray body

is the scientific name used by scientists rather than the everyday common name

Surface Forms

Auriparus flaviceps singular
Auriparus flaviceps plural

Morphology

Auriparus + flaviceps

This is a Latin taxonomic binomial (a proper scientific name) rather than a compositional English phrase; its meaning relies on taxonomic convention rather than normal English word-combination rules. The second element 'flaviceps' is not given as a known English word here (and its Latin parts would not be obvious to a B1 learner), so the overall meaning (‘a yellow-headed verdin’) is not derivable from the listed constituents. Therefore a B1 learner who knows the listed constituents would not reliably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Auriparus flaviceps comes from Latin words: auri- meaning 'gold', parus meaning 'tit', and flaviceps meaning 'yellow-headed', so it gives the image of a tiny yellow-headed tit. That's why the name fits the small bird called the 'verdin'.