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Glite Dictionary
genus Otus

genus Otus

9.9
A group of small owls like the Scops owl that are active at night
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Otus
  • The genus Otus includes several species of small, nocturnal owls.

Examples

  • The Scops owl is perhaps the most well-known representative of the genus Otus.

  • Many birds from the genus Otus are nocturnal.

  • Scientists recently discovered a new species within the genus Otus in Southeast Asia.

  • The genus Otus includes several species of owls.

  • The genus Otus includes several species of small, nocturnal owls found in various habitats around the world.

  • Scientists recently discovered a new species within the genus Otus that has unique vocalizations.

  • The Scops owl is perhaps the most well-known representative of the genus Otus, recognizable by its distinct ear tufts.

Synonyms

Otus
vsgenus Otus
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of small owls called scops owls

has identical meaning but uses a different, more explicit phrasing

Surface Forms

genus Otus singular
genera Otus plural

Morphology

genus + Otus

The phrase is directly compositional: 'genus' signals a biological taxonomic rank and 'Otus' is the taxon name, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the taxonomic group called Otus (a group of owls). The rank+name construction is a common, cross-linguistic naming pattern in biology, making the meaning transparent to B1 learners who recognize the parts.

Etymology

Genus Otus may come from an old Greek or Latin word for 'ear'. Many scops owls have small feather tufts that look like ears, so calling them Otus points to their 'eared' look and helps explain the name for this group of small owls.