accentor

accentor
/ak sen"teuhr, ak"sen-/, n.
any oscine bird of the family Prunellidae, of Europe and Asia, resembling sparrows but having more finely pointed bills, as the hedge sparrow.
[1815-25; < NL: a genus of such birds, LL: one who sings with another, equiv. to L ac- AC- + -centor, comb. form of cantor singer; see CANTOR]

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bird
      any of 12 species of bird in the Old World family Prunellidae (order Passeriformes (passeriform)). They have slender bills and rounded wings, and they frequently hop or move with a peculiar motion that has given them another name, shufflewing. The accentors range in colour from dark brown or gray to buff, chestnut, or russet and are usually darker above than below. The chin and breast are often spotted. Accentors breed chiefly in mountains but winter at lower elevations.

      The alpine accentor (Prunella collaris), which ranges from Spain and northwestern Africa to Japan, is at 18 cm (7 inches) long the largest and stoutest of the accentors. Both sexes are mostly brown with reddish-spotted flanks and a heavily stippled throat. In courtship the male warbles a rippling larklike call from a station near the ground or during flight. These birds breed at high elevations; in the Himalayas they have been seen on Mount Everest at nearly 8,000 metres (26,000 feet).

      A widespread lowland species is the dunnock, or hedge sparrow (P. modularis).

Sy Montgomery
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Accentor — Ac*cen tor, n. [L. ad. + cantor singer, canere to sing.] 1. (Mus.) One who sings the leading part; the director or leader. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) A genus of European birds (so named from their sweet notes), including the hedge… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Accentor — (A. Bechst.), so v.w. Flüevogel …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Accentor — Accentor, Flüevogel; Accentorinae, Unterfamilie der Sänger (s. Sperlingsvögel) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Accentor — Taxobox name = Accentor image width = 240px image caption = P. montanella (top) and P. modularis (bottom) regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes subordo = Passeri familia = Prunellidae familia authority = Richmond …   Wikipedia

  • accentor — /əkˈsɛntə/ (say uhk sentuh) noun any of various small birds of the genus Prunella, as the alpine accentor, P. collaris, with a black spotted white throat, of mountainous regions of Eurasia and northern Africa. {Medieval Latin, from ad to + cantor …  

  • accentor — erškėtžvirbliai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Prunella angl. accentor vok. Braunelle, f rus. завирушка, f pranc. accenteur, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – erškėtžvirbliniai siauresnis terminas – alpinis erškėtžvirblis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • accentor — n. any bird of the genus Prunella, e.g. the hedge sparrow. Etymology: med.L accentor f. L ad to + cantor singer …   Useful english dictionary

  • Accentor class minesweeper — The Accentor class minesweeper, sometimes called the Accentor/Acme class minesweeper, provided the U.S. Navy during World War II with a small minesweeper capable of working at its task of sweeping mines in harbors and bays. Most were built during …   Wikipedia

  • Accentor rubeculoides — Robin Rob in, n. [Properly a pet name for Robert, originally meaning, famebright; F., fron OHG. Roudperht; ruod (in comp.; akin to AS. hr?? glory, fame, Goth. hr?peigs victorius) + beraht bright. See {Bright}, {Hob} a clown.] (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Accentor modularis — Hedge Hedge, n. [OE. hegge, AS. hecg; akin to haga an inclosure, E. haw, AS. hege hedge, E. haybote, D. hegge, OHG. hegga, G. hecke. [root]12. See {Haw} a hedge.] A thicket of bushes, usually thorn bushes; especially, such a thicket planted as a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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