western tanager
- noun
- /ˈwɛstərn ˈtænədʒər/
- US
:
tángara occidental
- During our hike, we spotted a western tanager perched on a branch, singing its lovely song.
Examples
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What's a western tanager doing a half mile from the Banfield Freeway, I thought?
Fiction book (1997) -
The male western tanager is easily recognized by its bright yellow body and striking black wings.
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Western tanager.
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Oh, red-breasted nuthatches, black-capped and chestnut-sided chickadees, western tanagers.
Blog text (10) -
In spring, the western tanager migrates to North America, showcasing its vibrant plumage.
Synonyms
A small songbird whose male has a red head and yellow body and that lives in western North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built from the adjective 'western' (indicating geographic provenance) + 'tanager' (a type of songbird), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a tanager found in western regions. This regional modification is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern, making the meaning directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
The name western tanager is a simple description: tanager is a kind of bright, singing bird and western shows where it is found. So the name means 'a brightly colored songbird from the west'.
