Hesperiphona vespertina

9.9

A North American bird with a thick bill and bright yellow, black, and white feathers

noun

Specialized

: grosbeak vespertino

The brilliant yellow and black plumage of the Hesperiphona vespertina makes it easy to identify in the wild.

Examples

Birdwatchers reported a large flock of Hesperiphona vespertina visiting their feeders this winter.
Researchers are studying the migration patterns of Hesperiphona vespertina across North America.
The Hesperiphona vespertina is known for its beautiful plumage.
Have you ever spotted a Hesperiphona vespertina in the wild?
Birdwatchers reported a large flock of Hesperiphona vespertina visiting their feeders this winter.
The brilliant yellow and black plumage of the Hesperiphona vespertina makes it easy to identify in the wild.
Researchers are studying the migration patterns of Hesperiphona vespertina across North America.

Synonyms

evening grosbeak

vsHesperiphona vespertina

9.7

A North American bird with a thick cone-shaped bill and bright yellow, black and white feathers

describes physical features like a thick bill and yellow black and white plumage

Surface Forms

Hesperiphona vespertina singular

Hesperiphona vespertinas plural

Morphology

Hesperiphona + vespertina

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name combining a genus and specific epithet; such taxonomic labels are specialized and not compositionally meaningful to a B1 learner. One constituent ('vespertina') is not a common English word and the genus name is a proper taxonomic label rather than a transparent lexical compound, so the overall meaning (‘evening grosbeak’) cannot be derived from the parts by an average learner.

Etymology

Hesperiphona vespertina comes from old words: Hesperi- and -phona that mean 'evening' and 'voice', and vespertina also means 'evening'. The name creates an image of a bird you might hear or see in the late day, so it matches the common name 'evening grosbeak'.