oscine bird
- noun
- /ˈɑːsɪn bɜrd/
- Specialized
- The melodious tones of the oscine bird filled the forest at dawn.
Examples
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Scientists study the complex vocalizations of oscine birds to understand animal communication.
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Many oscine birds migrate south for the winter.
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An oscine bird can produce a wider range of sounds than most other avian species.
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The oscine bird sang beautifully at dawn.
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The melodious tones of the oscine bird filled the forest at dawn.
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Scientists study the complex vocalizations of oscine birds to understand animal communication.
-
Many oscine birds migrate south for the winter.
Synonyms
A small bird, like a canary, that makes pleasant musical sounds
A bird that sings, like a robin or finch
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'oscine' denotes characteristics of songbirds (a developed vocal organ), so combining it with 'bird' straightforwardly yields a bird that is an oscine or songbird. Although the term is technical and infrequent, its meaning is compositionally derivable from the constituents, so a learner who knows both words would understand it.
Etymology
Oscine bird The name oscine bird comes from a Latin word that means 'singer', because oscine refers to singing and these birds have a special voice organ that lets them make many different notes. So, oscine bird today means a 'songbird', a bird that sings many different notes.