little blue heron
- noun
- /ˈlɪtəl bluː ˈhɛrən/
- US
:
garza azul pequeña
- Unlike other herons, the little blue heron has a distinct slate-blue plumage.
Examples
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The little blue heron is known for its striking color.
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The little blue heron stood motionless by the water, patiently waiting for its prey.
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Birdwatchers were thrilled to spot several little blue herons in the marshlands.
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I spotted a little blue heron near the lake.
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At the lake, a little blue heron stands silently, waiting to catch its dinner.
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The little blue heron has a distinctive color that sets it apart from other birds in the wetland.
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I spotted a little blue heron wading through the shallow waters as the sun began to rise.
Synonyms
11
2.0
A large bird with long legs and neck that wades to catch fish
A small blue-grey heron that wades in shallow wetlands in the Americas
A small heron with a slender body and long legs that lives near water
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjectival description: 'little' (small) + 'blue' (color) + 'heron' (bird), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to a small heron that is blue-coloured. This compositional, descriptive pattern follows normal adjective+noun formation and is cross-linguistically common, not idiomatic.
Etymology
Little blue heron is a simple name: little because it is smaller than many herons, blue for its blue-grey feathers, and heron because it is a bird that stands in shallow water to catch fish. So imagine a small blue-grey bird waiting at the water's edge, and that picture explains why the name means 'a small blue heron'.