Gracupica
gra-KOO-pih-kuh
Genus
The jackdaw-magpie (a bird combining the traits of a jackdaw/cormorant with those of a magpie)
Literally: jackdaw-magpie
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gracu- | A jackdaw; a cormorant | Latin (gracul, =us) | Stem gracul- clipped to gracu- before the following consonant; refers to a dark, crow-like bird |
| -pica | A magpie | Latin (pic, =a) | Final element used as a full word ending -a (feminine noun in apposition), giving the name its feminine grammatical gender |
A compound Latin noun formed by telescoping gracul(us) + pica. The final -a of pica simultaneously replaces the -us of graculus and marks the genus as grammatically feminine. This portmanteau construction — naming a new genus after two familiar birds — was a common 19th-century ornithological coinage. Gracupica is the genus of the pied myna and allies (family Sturnidae), birds that do indeed combine the build of a starling/jackdaw with the bold black-and-white patterning of a magpie.
Pronunciation
- gra-KOO-pih-kuh Penult rule 4: the penult vowel U is followed by a single consonant and the word pattern fits Latin -u- penult, but here the penult ("koo") has a long-U; stress falls on penult.
Other readings
gracu- from gracilis (slender) + pica, but gracul- is strongly preferred given the bird's appearance and the genre of ornithological blends
The stem gracul- loses its final -l- in the blend, a common truncation in portmanteau genus names. pica (the magpie) gives its name to the genus Pica and to the medical term pica (craving to eat non-food items), said to echo the magpie's indiscriminate diet. Gracupica is currently accepted for the pied myna (Gracupica contra) and relatives, sometimes subsumed into Sturnus.