shell parakeet
- noun
- /ʃɛl ˈpærəˌkit/
- Australian
:
periquito
- In the wild, the shell parakeet is typically bright green with distinctive black and yellow markings.
Examples
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She breeds shell parakeets in a variety of beautiful colors.
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Many families keep a shell parakeet as a cheerful and colorful pet.
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In the wild, the shell parakeet is usually bright green with black and yellow spots.
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The shell parakeet is a popular pet bird.
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Many people love their shell parakeets for their vibrant colors.
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Many families keep a shell parakeet as a cheerful and colorful pet.
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The shell parakeet is often praised for its playful nature and sociable behavior.
Synonyms
3
3.8
A small parrot from Australia often kept as a pet
1
8.1
A small green parakeet from Australia often kept as a pet
A small parakeet from Australia often green and yellow that people keep as a pet
A small Australian parrot often green in the wild and kept as a colorful pet
A small Australian parrot often green with black and yellow markings
A small Australian parakeet often kept as a pet with bright feathers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The presence of the head noun 'parakeet' makes it clear to a B1 learner that this is a kind of small parrot, so they will infer the general category (a type of parakeet/pet bird). However, the modifier 'shell' does not transparently describe the specific species or its typical coloration from its basic meaning ('hard outer case'), so the precise sense is lexicalized and not fully predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Shell parakeet comes from the shell-like marks on the bird's feathers. The word shell points to the pattern and parakeet is a small parrot, so the name refers to 'a small colorful parakeet often kept as a pet'.