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Glite Dictionary
bird family

bird family

1 4.7
A group of related birds that share similar body shape and habits
  • noun
  • /bɜrd ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de aves
  • And is T-Rex from the bird family too?

Examples

  • How widely this relationship and these figures apply to other bird families remains to be seen, but I was pleased to find confirmation of the general size relationship among weaverbirds.

    Academic text (1994)

  • At least six bird families have arrived independently at this solution.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The Norman Bird family was attacked just as they finished breakfast.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The ornithologist studied the unique behaviors of the hawk and eagle, which belong to the same bird family.

  • In the tropical rainforest, scientists discovered new species within the bird family of parrots.

  • The classification of species within a bird family helps researchers understand their evolutionary relationships.

Synonyms

family
vsbird family
  • Specialized
155 4.0

A group of related animals, plants, or other things that share similar features

is a specific taxonomic rank for avian groups between genus and order

Surface Forms

bird family singular
bird families plural

Morphology

bird + family

The phrase 'bird family' is directly compositional: 'bird' specifies the category and 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping, so a learner who knows both words will infer it means a family (a group of related species) of birds. This noun+noun compounding and the taxonomic logic are cross-linguistically common, making the meaning transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

The noun bird family uses the idea of a human family: birds that look and act alike are put together, like brothers and sisters in one house. So, bird family means a 'group of related birds' that share the same features.