Piranga rubra
- noun
- /pɪˈræŋɡə ˈruːbrə/
- Specialized
- The bright red male Piranga rubra is easy to spot among the green foliage.
Examples
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Unlike the male, the female Piranga rubra is mostly yellow in color.
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The male Piranga rubra is known for its vibrant red plumage.
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Many birdwatchers hope to catch a glimpse of the elusive Piranga rubra during spring migration.
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Have you ever seen a Piranga rubra in the wild?
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The bright red male Piranga rubra is easy to spot among the green foliage.
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Many birdwatchers hope to catch a glimpse of the elusive Piranga rubra during spring migration.
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Unlike the male, the female Piranga rubra is mostly yellow in color.
Synonyms
A bird found in North America with males deep red and females mostly yellow
A bird in the central and southern United States whose male is deep red and female is mostly yellow
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a Latin scientific name (genus + species epithet) rather than a compositional English phrase; the constituents are taxonomic labels and do not carry ordinary lexical meanings from which 'summer tanager' can be derived. A B1 learner who knows the listed components would not be able to infer the bird species without prior knowledge of taxonomy or Latin nomenclature, so the expression is not transparently interpretable.
Etymology
Piranga rubra likely mixes an old local word Piranga for a small red bird with the Latin word rubra, which means 'red'. So the name literally paints the bird as a red Piranga, which fits the bright red male and helps you remember the species.