Egretta rufescens
eh-GRET-tuh roo-FES-enz
Species
the reddish (or reddening) egret — the Reddish Egret
Literally: little egret becoming reddish
Egretta · genus
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egretta | egret, heron; specifically the tuft of feathers on a heron's head (a plume or aigrette) | Old French (aigrette / egret) | New Latin diminutive formed from Old French aigrette (egret), which derives from Old High German heigir (heron). The -etta ending is an Italian/Latin diminutive suffix meaning 'little'. The genus was erected by T. Forster in 1817. |
rufescens · specific epithet
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ruf- | red, reddish | Latin (ruf, -esc, -i) | stem of Latin rufus 'red'; colour descriptor |
| -escens | becoming, beginning to | Latin | Latin inceptive/inchoative present-participle suffix; rufescens = 'becoming reddish' |
The epithet rufescens is a Latin present participle (nominative singular, all genders) from the inceptive verb rufescere 'to become reddish'. As a participle it is invariable in form across genders, so it agrees with the feminine genus name Egretta without any change in spelling. It functions as an adjective in apposition, describing the colour of the bird's plumage.
Pronunciation
- eh-GRET-tuh Penult stress: short penult vowel 'e' followed by two consonants (tt) — Rule 5.
- roo-FES-enz Penult stress: short penult vowel 'e' followed by two consonants (sc) — Rule 5. Final c before e = 's'; final s of -ens is plain 'z'.
rufescens is well-attested in biological Latin as an adjectival epithet meaning 'becoming reddish' or 'reddish', formed with the inceptive suffix -escens; it describes the reddish to slate-grey plumage of the Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens). The saved word Egretta is feminine; the epithet rufescens is a present participle whose nominative singular form is the same for all three genders, so no ending change is required.