Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Fratercula corniculata

Fratercula corniculata

9.9
A small black-and-white seabird with fleshy 'horns' above its eyes found in the northern Pacific
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Fratercula corniculata
  • The Fratercula corniculata can be identified by the distinctive fleshy 'horns' above its eyes.

Examples

  • The Fratercula corniculata is often seen along the coasts of Alaska.

  • Researchers observed the feeding habits of Fratercula corniculata in the northern Pacific islands.

  • During the summer months, many Fratercula corniculata nest on rocky cliffs along the Alaskan coast.

  • Have you ever spotted a Fratercula corniculata in the wild?

  • During the summer months, many Fratercula corniculata nest on rocky cliffs along the Alaskan coast.

  • Researchers observed the feeding habits of Fratercula corniculata in the northern Pacific islands.

  • The Fratercula corniculata can be identified by the distinctive fleshy 'horns' above its eyes.

Synonyms

horned puffin
vsFratercula corniculata
  • US
9.0

A sea bird from the northern Pacific with small black horns above its eyes

is the scientific Latin name for the same species

Surface Forms

Fratercula corniculata singular
Fratercula corniculatas plural

Morphology

Fratercula + corniculata

The name is compositional (genus Fratercula = puffin; corniculata is a Latin epithet meaning 'horned'), so if a learner knows both constituents (including the Latin-derived epithet) the meaning 'horned puffin' is directly recoverable. However, species epithets like 'corniculata' are not English vocabulary and are unfamiliar to most B1 learners, so the relation is only partially accessible and depends on knowledge of scientific/Latin morphology.

Etymology

Fratercula corniculata comes from Latin words: Fratercula means 'little brother', because the puffin's black-and-white feathers looked like a monk's robe, and corniculata means 'horned', for the small 'horns' above its eyes. So the name gives a simple picture, a little 'horned' brother, which explains why we call this species the 'horned puffin' today.