band-tailed pigeon

7.7

A wild pigeon from western North America with a broad dark band on its tail

noun
/bænd-teɪld ˈpɪdʒən/

: paloma de cola anillada

The band-tailed pigeon is often seen feeding on acorns in oak woodlands.

Examples

Unlike the extinct passenger pigeon, the band-tailed pigeon still inhabits much of western North America.
A flock of band-tailed pigeons visited the forest clearing at dawn.
The band-tailed pigeon is a beautiful bird.
Look at that band-tailed pigeon sitting on the branch!
The band-tailed pigeon is easily recognized by the broad dark band on its tail.
In western North America, the band-tailed pigeon can often be spotted in forested areas.
Many birdwatchers hope to see a band-tailed pigeon during their hikes in the mountains.

Synonyms

Columba fasciata

vsband-tailed pigeon

Specialized

9.9

A large wild pigeon that lives in western North America and has a band on its tail

is the everyday descriptive name used by most observers

band-tail pigeon

vsband-tailed pigeon

8.1

A wild pigeon from western North America that is larger than city pigeons

focuses on tail band and identification rather than relative size

bandtail

vsband-tailed pigeon

9.9

A wild pigeon from western North America often mistaken for the passenger pigeon

uses the fuller descriptive name highlighting the tail band for identification

Surface Forms

band-tailed pigeon singular

band-tailed pigeons plural

Morphology

band-tailed + pigeon

The compound is fully compositional: 'band-tailed' means having a band on the tail and 'pigeon' names the bird, so a learner who knows 'band', 'tail', and 'pigeon' can infer it denotes a pigeon with a banded tail. This adjectival‑noun formation is a regular, cross‑linguistic descriptive pattern in English and therefore readily understandable at B1.

Etymology

Band-tailed pigeon gets its name from the wide dark band on its tail. That clear stripe is the easiest way to spot and remember this wild pigeon, and it is why the bird is called a 'band-tailed' pigeon today.