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Glite Dictionary
red-breasted snipe

red-breasted snipe

9.9
A shore bird with a reddish chest often seen on muddy coasts during breeding season
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : aguja de pecho rojo
  • During breeding season, the red-breasted snipe displays its distinctive reddish plumage.

Examples

  • The red-breasted snipe frequents coastal mudflats during migration season.

  • I spotted a red-breasted snipe near the marsh.

  • Birdwatchers gathered early in the morning to spot a red-breasted snipe among the flock.

  • The red-breasted snipe is known for its distinctive color.

  • Birdwatchers gathered early in the morning to spot a red-breasted snipe among the flock.

  • During breeding season, the red-breasted snipe displays its distinctive reddish plumage.

  • The red-breasted snipe frequents coastal mudflats during migration season.

Synonyms

snipe
vsred-breasted snipe
4 8.3

A bird with a long straight bill that lives in wet places like marshes

is a specific reddish-breasted member within that subgroup not the broad wetland bird
Limnodromus scolopaceus
vsred-breasted snipe
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American wading bird with a long bill and reddish underparts in breeding season

is a general reddish-breasted member of the group rather than this exact named bird
dowitcher
vsred-breasted snipe
  • Specialized
9.9

A shorebird with a long bill that searches soft mud by the sea for food

is the reddish-breasted member seen mainly in breeding season, not the whole type

Surface Forms

red-breasted snipe singular
red-breasted snipes plural

Morphology

red-breasted + snipe

The noun phrase is transparently compositional: 'red-breasted' denotes having a red (or reddish) breast and 'snipe' names the bird, so the combined meaning is simply a snipe with a red breast. This follows a regular adjective + noun pattern that a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer.

Etymology

The name red-breasted snipe is a plain picture: a snipe with a red-breasted, meaning a red chest, that appears most in the 'breeding season'. So the name helps birdwatchers spot and identify this bird.