order Gruiformes

9.9

A group of birds that live in marshes and find food by wading, like cranes and rails

noun
/ˈɔrdər ˈɡruːɪfɔːrmiːz/

Specialized

: orden Gruiformes

The wetland reserve is home to several species within the order Gruiformes, including rails and cranes.

Examples

Ornithologists are studying population declines in the order Gruiformes to better understand environmental changes.
The order Gruiformes includes various species of wading birds.
Many birds in the order Gruiformes rely on marshes and wetlands for nesting and feeding.
Many birds in the order Gruiformes are found near wetlands.
Many birds in the order Gruiformes rely on marshes and wetlands for nesting and feeding.
The wetland reserve is home to several species within the order Gruiformes, including rails and cranes.
Ornithologists are studying population declines in the order Gruiformes to better understand environmental changes.

Synonyms

Gruiformes

vsorder Gruiformes

Specialized

9.9

A group of birds like cranes, rails and bustards that live in marshes and have long legs and beaks

has identical meaning but adds the scientific group label

Surface Forms

order Gruiformes singular

order Gruiformes plural

Morphology

order + Gruiformes

This phrase is directly compositional: it names the taxonomic order called Gruiformes, so a learner who knows 'order' (a taxonomic grouping) and 'Gruiformes' (the bird group) can derive that it refers to that group of birds. Although scientific jargon is domain-specific, the construction follows a common, cross-linguistic taxonomic pattern and is therefore transparent to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Order Gruiformes comes from the old Latin word grus meaning 'crane' and the part -formes meaning 'shaped', so Gruiformes originally meant 'crane-shaped'. This image of long-legged birds standing or wading in marshes explains why the name is used for a group of wetland birds like cranes, rails, and bustards.