Dendrocitta
den-dro-SIT-ta
Genus
tree jay; the treepie — a tree-dwelling chattering bird related to jays and magpies
Literally: tree chattering-bird (tree-jay)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dendro- | a tree | Greek (dendr, -o, =on) | -o- is the standard Greek combining vowel linking the two roots |
| -citta | a chattering bird; a jay | Greek (=citta) | stands alone as the head noun; treated as Latin feminine, giving the genus its feminine gender |
A single compound Greek word used as a Latin genus name. Both elements are pure Greek, so there is no hybrid issue. The head noun is -citta (feminine), which governs the gender of the genus. Dendro- is a combining form of dendron ('tree') functioning as a modifier: 'the tree-jay / tree chatterer'. Species epithets in this genus must agree in the feminine gender (e.g. adjectival epithets take -a endings).
Pronunciation
- den-dro-SIT-ta Penult rule 5: the penult vowel 'i' is short but is followed by two consonants (tt), so stress falls on the penult syllable 'cit'.
Other readings
The faint Latin root cit- ('swift') sits inside -citta, but the dictionary's =citta entry (Greek, 'a chattering bird; a jay') is clearly the intended element — confirmed by the bird family context (Corvidae treepies).
The dictionary defines =citta as 'a chattering bird; a jay', not specifically 'magpie'; however, Dendrocitta is the accepted genus for the treepies — long-tailed corvids of Asia popularly called 'tree magpies'. The ancient Greek word citta was applied broadly to noisy, chattering corvid-like birds, making the name apt. The final -a is pronounced as a short 'uh' (unstressed), per the rule that word-final -a is never long.