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Glite Dictionary
Stercorarius parasiticus

Stercorarius parasiticus

9.9
A seabird that chases other birds to steal their food on northern coasts
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Stercorarius parasiticus
  • The Stercorarius parasiticus is often seen harassing other seabirds to steal their catch.

Examples

  • During their migration, Stercorarius parasiticus can be observed along the northern coastlines, often stealing fish from other seabirds.

  • During their migration, Stercorarius parasiticus can be observed along northern coastlines.

  • Birdwatchers were thrilled to spot a rare Stercorarius parasiticus among the gulls.

  • The Stercorarius parasiticus is known for its aggressive behavior.

  • Have you ever seen a Stercorarius parasiticus in the wild?

  • Birdwatchers were thrilled to spot a rare Stercorarius parasiticus as it chased away gulls for food.

  • The Stercorarius parasiticus is known for following other birds closely to pilfer their meals.

Synonyms

parasitic jaeger
vsStercorarius parasiticus
  • Specialized
9.9

A sea bird that chases other birds to steal their food

focuses on presence along northern coasts rather than Arctic breeding

Surface Forms

Stercorarius parasiticus singular
Stercorarii parasitici plural

Morphology

Stercorarius + parasiticus

The first element 'Stercorarius' names a group of jaeger seabirds, and if a learner recognized 'parasiticus' as deriving from 'parasitic' they could transparently infer 'a jaeger that parasitises or steals food from others'. However, 'parasiticus' is a Latin species epithet and is not a common English word (dictionary entry missing), and binomial Latin names are technical, so the sense is not fully predictable to an average B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Stercorarius parasiticus comes from old Latin words that describe how it gets food. The part stercorarius links to a word for 'dung' because people saw it eating scraps or droppings, and parasiticus means 'parasitic' because it chases other birds to make them drop food, so the name helps you remember that this bird steals food from others.