Chlamydochaera
klam-ih-do-KEER-a
Genus
cloaked one that delights; in practice named for its strikingly mantled plumage
Literally: cloak-rejoicer (or cloak-pig)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| chlamyd- | a cloak | Greek (chlamy, -d, =s) | stem chlamyd- from nominative chlamys; refers to the bird's boldly patterned, cloak-like plumage |
| -o- | connecting vowel | standard Greek combining vowel | |
| chaer- | delight, rejoice; a young pig | Greek (chaer, -i, -o) | most likely 'delight/rejoice' here; -a is the feminine nominative singular ending that also gives the genus its grammatical gender |
| -a | feminine nominative singular ending (New Latin genus formation) | makes the genus grammatically feminine |
A single-word genus name formed entirely from Greek roots. chlamyd-o- (stem of chlamys, 'cloak') is joined by the connecting vowel -o- to chaer- ('delight / rejoice'), with the feminine noun ending -a. The compound reads literally as 'one who rejoices in a cloak' or 'cloaked delight,' alluding to the bird's (Chlamydochaera jefferyi, the Whitehead's thrush-babbler) conspicuous mantle-like plumage pattern. The genus name is a feminine noun in apposition; specific epithets agreeing with it take the feminine form.
Pronunciation
- klam-ih-do-KEER-a Penult contains the diphthong ae (= 'ee'), so the penult is stressed (Rule 2).
Other readings
chlamyd- + o- + chaera where chaera is taken as 'young pig' (less likely for a bird); the piglet sense of chaer- is well attested but ornithologically improbable
Initial 'Ch' follows the rule ch = hard 'k', so the word opens with 'kl-', not 'sh-' or 'ch-'. The diphthong ae in 'chaer' is pronounced as long e ('ee'), giving the penult syllable 'KEER'. Chlamydochaera jefferyi is a bird endemic to Borneo (family Turdidae or Muscicapidae depending on authority); the name alludes to its boldly cloaked appearance.