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Glite Dictionary
piping crow-shrike

piping crow-shrike

9.9
A black and white bird like a crow that sings a pleasant song and copies other sounds
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : pájaro cantores
  • The piping crow-shrike is often admired for its remarkable ability to imitate other birds' calls.

Examples

  • A piping crow-shrike was spotted near the edge of the forest, singing beautifully early in the morning.

  • The piping crow-shrike is often found in the forests of Australia.

  • Many bird enthusiasts keep a piping crow-shrike in captivity because of its pleasant song.

  • Have you ever seen a piping crow-shrike in the wild?

  • A piping crow-shrike was spotted near the edge of the forest, singing beautifully early in the morning.

  • Many bird enthusiasts keep a piping crow-shrike in captivity because of its pleasant song.

  • The piping crow-shrike is often admired for its remarkable ability to imitate other birds' calls.

Synonyms

Gymnorhina tibicen
vspiping crow-shrike
  • Specialized
9.9

A black and white Australian bird about the size of a crow that sings and copies sounds

is a general description focusing on appearance and song rather than precise naming
piping crow
vspiping crow-shrike
  • Australian
9.9

A black and white bird the size of a crow that copies sounds

emphasises wild bird features like melodic mimicry rather than captivity
Australian magpie
vspiping crow-shrike
  • Australian
6.0

A large black and white bird from Australia that sings a beautiful, musical song

while the key stresses melodious mimicry and specific medium size
Gymnorhina
vspiping crow-shrike
  • Australian
9.9

A bird like the Australian magpie that makes loud musical calls

describes one particular bird rather than the broader group

Surface Forms

piping crow-shrike singular
piping crow-shrikes plural

Morphology

pipe + crow-shrike

The compound name is fully compositional: 'piping' (from 'pipe') denotes making a clear, melodic call, and 'crow-shrike' is a compound bird name (crow + shrike) indicating a bird. A B1 learner who knows these constituents can infer the basic meaning — a bird characterized by piping calls — even if finer taxonomic details (black-and-white plumage, Australian range, mimicry) are not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Piping crow-shrike is named for its sound and its look. People called it piping because its clear, high song sounds like a small 'pipe', and crow-shrike because its black-and-white colors and shape remind people of a little 'crow' and a 'shrike', so the name points to a bird known for its pleasant song.