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Glite Dictionary
mound-bird

mound-bird

9.9
A bird with large feet that builds piles of dead plants to keep its eggs warm
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : ave montícola
  • A fascinating aspect of the mound-bird is its strategy of using heat from decomposing vegetation to incubate its eggs.

Examples

  • The mound-bird uses its large feet to pile up vegetation for its nest.

  • Scientists were fascinated by the unique incubation strategy of the mound-bird.

  • Many mound-birds are found in forests across Australia and nearby islands.

  • The mound-bird is known for its unique nesting behavior.

  • Many mound-birds can be found in Australia.

  • The mound-bird constructs large nests from decaying leaves and branches to keep its eggs warm.

  • In the wild, the mound-bird can often be seen carefully selecting materials for its nesting mound.

Synonyms

mound builder
vsmound-bird
  • Australian
1 9.9

A bird that builds a large pile of leaves and rotting plants to keep its eggs warm

is the single named form, not a general group label
mound bird
vsmound-bird
  • Australian
9.9

A large bird with big feet that builds mounds of dead plants to keep its eggs warm

is written with a hyphen as a single hyphenated form
scrub fowl
vsmound-bird
  • Australian
9.9

A large ground bird that builds a warm mound of rotting plants to hatch its eggs

is the specific hyphenated label rather than a broad common name
megapode
vsmound-bird
  • Australian
9.9

A ground bird from Australia and nearby islands that uses mounds of rotting plants to warm eggs

focuses on the same birds but as a named hyphenated form

Surface Forms

mound-bird singular
mound-birds plural

Morphology

mound-bird = mound + bird (transparent) = mound + bird

Clear compound of 'mound' + 'bird': the species is a bird associated with mound-building, so a learner can infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Mound-bird comes from two simple English words: mound meaning 'a pile of earth or plant material' and bird meaning 'a flying animal'. These birds make large piles of dead plants to keep their eggs warm, so the name is a direct, easy way to remember their nesting habit.