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Glite Dictionary
Gracula religiosa

Gracula religiosa

9.9
A large shiny black bird like a starling that can copy human speech
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Gracula religiosa
  • The Gracula religiosa is prized by bird enthusiasts for its exceptional ability to imitate sounds and speech.

Examples

  • Many people keep Gracula religiosa as pets because of their sociable nature and mimicking talent.

  • The Gracula religiosa is famous for its ability to mimic sounds.

  • In the forests of Southeast Asia, the calls of Gracula religiosa can often be heard echoing through the trees.

  • Many people keep Gracula religiosas as pets due to their intelligence.

  • In the forests of Southeast Asia, the calls of Gracula religiosa can often be heard echoing through the trees.

  • Many people keep Gracula religiosa as pets because of their sociable nature and mimicking talent.

  • The Gracula religiosa is prized by bird enthusiasts for its exceptional ability to imitate sounds and speech.

Synonyms

Indian grackle
vsGracula religiosa
  • Indian
9.9

A glossy black bird from Asia that often learns to copy human speech

is the scientific species label rather than an alternative common name
hill myna
vsGracula religiosa
  • Indian
9.0

A shiny black bird from Asia that can copy human speech

is described as the native wild species rather than a pet bird

Surface Forms

Gracula religiosa singular
Gracula religiosas plural

Morphology

Gracula + religiosa

This is a Latin scientific name (binomial) rather than a compositional English phrase; 'religiosa' is not an English lexical item and no clear semantic contribution is provided, so a B1 learner knowing the listed constituents would not derive the species meaning 'hill myna' or 'large glossy black starling'. Even if 'Gracula' is glossed as birds that mimic sounds, that only hints at a bird but does not yield the specific species or salient attributes, so the overall meaning is not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Gracula religiosa may come from old names: Gracula for a talking bird and religiosa meaning 'religious', because people often kept these shiny black birds near temples where they learned to copy words. That's why the name points to a bird famous for its ability to 'mimic human speech'.