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Glite Dictionary
tawny eagle

tawny eagle

8.8
A large brown eagle with pale reddish-brown feathers that lives in Africa and parts of Asia
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : águila tostada
  • A tawny eagle was perched on a branch, scanning the ground for any signs of movement.

Examples

  • We spotted a tawny eagle soaring gracefully over the savannah during our safari.

  • The tawny eagle has beautiful reddish-brown feathers that help it blend in with its surroundings.

  • A tawny eagle.

    Mountains of the Moon (1990)

Synonyms

eagle
vstawny eagle
121 1.0

A large bird of prey with sharp talons and very good eyesight

is a specific brownish species known for pale to reddish plumage
Aquila rapax
vstawny eagle
  • Specialized
9.9

A medium-sized brown eagle that lives in Africa and parts of Asia, also called the tawny eagle

is the common name used in everyday speech for that species

Surface Forms

tawny eagle singular
tawny eagles plural

Morphology

tawny + eagle

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'tawny' denotes a light brown/reddish-brown color and 'eagle' denotes a large predatory bird, so the meaning (an eagle of tawny colour) is directly derivable from the parts. This color + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be understood by a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The name tawny eagle comes from the word tawny, meaning a warm 'brownish' colour, and eagle, the large bird. So the name gives a simple image of a big eagle with pale reddish-brown feathers, which is why we call that type of bird the tawny eagle today.