Uroglaux
yoo-roh-GLAWKS
Genus
the tailed owl
Literally: tail owl
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| uro- | tail | Greek (uro, -o) | combining form of Greek οὐρά (ourá) |
| -glaux | owl | Greek (glaux) | Greek γλαύξ (glaux); the little owl, Athene noctua; also the name used in modern ornithological genera for owls |
A compound genus name formed from two Greek elements joined directly (no connecting vowel needed because -glaux begins with a consonant following the combining form uro-). Both elements are Greek nouns; the second, glaux, functions as the head noun (owl), modified by the first (tail). The name is treated as a feminine Latin noun in apposition, following the convention for genus names ending in -glaux.
Pronunciation
- yoo-roh-GLAWKS Penult rule 5: the penult vowel (au = 'aw', a diphthong) triggers penult stress (rule 2: penult contains a diphthong).
Other readings
uro- could theoretically derive from Greek ouron (urine) rather than oura (tail), but in the ornithological context 'tail' is the standard and correct reading for this genus of Papuan Hawk-Owl.
Uroglaux is a monotypic genus of owls containing only Uroglaux dimorpha, the Papuan Hawk-Owl, native to New Guinea. The 'tail' element likely refers to the species' notably long tail, which distinguishes it from related hawk-owls. The tool confirmed both 'uro' (tail) and 'glaux' (owl) are present in the dictionary. Final -x is pronounced 'ks'; the diphthong au is pronounced 'aw' as in August, giving the penult syllable 'glawks'.