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Glite Dictionary
family Sittidae

family Sittidae

9.9
A group of small birds that climb trees with short tails and strong bills
  • noun
  • Specialized
: familia Sittidae
  • Nuthatches, members of the family Sittidae, are known for climbing headfirst down trees.

Examples

  • There are more than twenty species in the family Sittidae, found across the Northern Hemisphere.

  • The naturalist studied several birds from the family Sittidae in their woodland habitat.

  • The family Sittidae includes various species of nuthatches.

  • Many birdwatchers enjoy observing the family Sittidae in their natural habitat.

  • Nuthatches, members of the family Sittidae, are known for climbing headfirst down trees.

  • The naturalist studied several birds from the family Sittidae in their woodland habitat.

  • Many birdwatchers enjoy observing the family Sittidae in their natural habitat.

Synonyms

Sittidae
vsfamily Sittidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small birds called nuthatches that climb down trees head first

emphasizes short tails and strong bills rather than climbing behavior

Surface Forms

family Sittidae singular
families Sittidae plural

Morphology

family + Sittidae

The phrase combines 'family' (a scientific grouping) with the taxon name 'Sittidae' (nuthatches), so its meaning as the taxonomic family of nuthatches is directly derivable from the constituents. This noun + proper-name composition is a standard, cross-linguistic pattern in biology and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The noun family Sittidae comes from the old group name Sitta, the ancient word for the small bird we call a 'nuthatch'. These birds are famous for climbing headfirst down tree trunks and using strong bills to work on nuts, so the family name simply means the group of those small, strong-billed climbers.