barred owl
1
7.8
- noun
- /bɑrd aʊl/
- US
:
búho rayado
- U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Madigan announced in July 1992 that spotted owl females were mating increasingly with males of the closely related edge-adapted barred owl species.
- hoot of the barred owl
- barred owl removal
- barred owl species
Examples
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A barred owl hooted in the distance, and a slight breeze loosened yesterday's raindrops from high in the trees behind me, causing them to patter sporadically in the darkness.
Blog text (20) -
This is a barred owl.
Fiction book (1997) -
Articles reporting this announcement were credited only with coverage of the edge effects subissue category if the reporting explained that increasing populations of the more aggressive barred owl were the result of increasing forest edge caused by heavy logging.
Academic text (1994) -
Recently, in fact, federal biologists scaled back the use of recordings in spotted owl surveys after it became clear that the birds that "whoo"-ed in reply were subject to attack by the more aggressive barred owls.
Blog text (5) -
In the quiet of the forest, I spotted a majestic barred owl perched silently on a branch.
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As night fell, the soft hooting of a barred owl echoed through the trees, signaling the start of its hunt.
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While hiking in the eastern woods, I was lucky enough to see a barred owl soaring gracefully above the canopy.
Synonyms
A large owl from eastern North America with brown streaks on its breast and belly, called the barred owl
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward adjective + noun description: 'barred' means marked with bands or streaks and 'owl' is a bird, so 'barred owl' simply denotes an owl with barred (striped) plumage. This compositional, descriptive pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows both words can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Barred owl is named for the dark 'bars' or stripes across the bird's chest and belly. The word barred points to those marks and owl tells us it is a bird, so the name means a 'large owl' with brown bar-like bands on its feathers.