ardea candidissima

4 definitions found

ardea candidissima - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Snowy \Snow"y\, a.
     1. White like snow. "So shows a snowy dove trooping with
        crows." --Shak.
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     2. Abounding with snow; covered with snow. "The snowy top of
        cold Olympus." --Milton.
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     3. Fig.: Pure; unblemished; unstained; spotless.
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              There did he lose his snowy innocence. --J. Hall
                                                    (1646).
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     Snowy heron (Zool.), a white heron, or egret (Ardea  candidissima
        ), found in the Southern United States, and
        southward to Chile; -- called also plume bird.
  
     Snowy lemming (Zool.), the collared lemming (Cuniculus  torquatus
        ), which turns white in winter.
  
     Snowy owl (Zool.), a large arctic owl (Nyctea Scandiaca,
        or Nyctea nivea) common all over the northern parts of
        the United States and Europe in winter time. Its plumage
        is sometimes nearly pure white, but it is usually more or
        less marked with blackish spots. Called also white owl.
        
  
     Snowy plover (Zool.), a small plover (Aegialitis nivosa)
        of the western parts of the United States and Mexico. It
        is light gray above, with the under parts and portions of
        the head white.
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  Plume \Plume\, n. [F., fr. L. pluma. Cf. Fly, v.]
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     1. A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long,
        conspicuous, or handsome feather.
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              Wings . . . of many a colored plume.  --Milton.
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     2. (Zool.) An ornamental tuft of feathers.
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     3. A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a
        waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling
        feathers.
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              His high plume, that nodded o'er his head. --Dryden.
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     4. A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides
        himself; a prize or reward. "Ambitious to win from me some
        plume." --Milton.
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     5. (Bot.) A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence
        resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large
        ornamental grasses.
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     Plume bird (Zool.), any bird that yields ornamental plumes,
        especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and
        some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of
        Florida (Ardea candidissima).
  
     Plume grass. (Bot)
        (a) A kind of grass (Erianthus saccharoides) with the
            spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in
            swamps in the Southern United States.
        (b) The still finer Erianthus Ravenn[ae] from the
            Mediterranean region. The name is sometimes extended
            to the whole genus.
  
     Plume moth (Zool.), any one of numerous small, slender
        moths, belonging to the family Pterophorid[ae]. Most of
        them have the wings deeply divided into two or more
        plumelike lobes. Some species are injurious to the
        grapevine.
  
     Plume nutmeg (Bot.), an aromatic Australian tree
        (Atherosperma moschata), whose numerous carpels are
        tipped with long plumose persistent styles.
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  Heron \Her"on\, n. [OE. heiroun, heroun, heron, hern, OF.
     hairon, F. h['e]ron, OHG. heigir; cf. Icel. hegri, Dan.
     heire, Sw. h[aum]ger, and also G. h[aum]her jay, jackdaw,
     OHG. hehara, higere, woodpecker, magpie, D. reiger heron, G.
     reiher, AS. hr[=a]gra. Cf. Aigret, Egret.] (Zool.)
     Any wading bird of the genus Ardea and allied genera, of
     the family Ardeid[ae]. The herons have a long, sharp bill,
     and long legs and toes, with the claw of the middle toe
     toothed. The common European heron (Ardea cinerea) is
     remarkable for its directly ascending flight, and was
     formerly hunted with the larger falcons.
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     Note: There are several common American species; as, the
           great blue heron (Ardea herodias); the little blue
           (Ardea c[oe]rulea); the green (Ardea virescens);
           the snowy (Ardea candidissima); the night heron or
           qua-bird (Nycticorax nycticorax). The plumed herons
           are called egrets.
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     Heron's bill (Bot.), a plant of the genus Erodium; -- so
        called from the fancied resemblance of the fruit to the
        head and beak of the heron.
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  Egret \E"gret\, n. [See Aigret, Heron.]
     1. (Zo["o]l.) The name of several species of herons which
        bear plumes on the back. They are generally white. Among
        the best known species are the American egret (Ardea  egretta
         syn. Herodias egretta); the great egret (Ardea  alba
        ); the little egret (Ardea garzetta), of Europe;
        and the American snowy egret (Ardea candidissima).
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              A bunch of egrets killed for their plumage. --G. W.
                                                    Cable.
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     2. A plume or tuft of feathers worn as a part of a headdress,
        or anything imitating such an ornament; an aigrette.
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     3. (Bot.) The flying feathery or hairy crown of seeds or
        achenes, as the down of the thistle.
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     4. (Zo["o]l.) A kind of ape.
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