French bird names.

[nickderry]

Seeing the good idea of bird names translated from Finnish and Greek, I'm jumping on the bandwaggon and giving some English translations of French bird names.


1) Mad bunting.
2) White-bummed knight.
3) White-fronted redtail.
4) Whistling warbler.
5) Grey wagtail.
6) Willy bunting (yes, willy!)
7) Fighting knight. Also known as Varied fighter.
8) Dove-like pigeon.
9) Ashy woodpecker.
10) Pilgrim falcon.


Your task, tell me the English names! All are common/quite common European birds.

[Frenchy]

I'll have a crack at this...

1 - Reed bunting
2 - Wheatear
3 - Redstart
4 - Blackcap
5 - White wagtail
6 - Ortolan (theres a joke in there somewhere...;) )
7 - Nightjar
8 - Stock dove
9 - Black woodpecker
10 - Lesser kestrel

As you can tell, some are complete wild guesses!!

[StuartReeves]

Pilgrim falcon is presumably Peregrine?

[Jurij Hanžel]

The linguistic quizzes are back! Whoohoo!!!
Let's have a go then ...
1 Corn Bunting
2 if the Italian names are anything to go by, "knights" are invariably waders, I'll opt for Curlew Sandpiper to get the ball rolling
3 Redstart
4 Garden Warbler
5 White Wagtail
6 Guillame's Bunting (if there ever was such a thing), I'll opt for Cirl Bunting (Yellowhammer is common as well, but I'm sure it has an uninventive name along the lines of Yellow Bunting)
7 Dunlin
8 Stock Dove
9 Grey-headed Woodpecker
10 Peregrine Falcon

[nickderry]

OK, summary of correct answers so far.

2) Yes, knights are waders, but this one's not a curlew sandpiper!
3) Redstart, rougequeue à front blanc.
5) White wagtail, bergeronnette grise.
6) Cirl bunting, bruant zizi, yellowhammer is uninventive and is simply bruant jaune.
8) Stock Dove, apparently the most dove-like of pigeons, pigeon colombin.
9) Grey-headed Woodpecker, Pic cendré
10) Peregrine.

so, 1, 2, 4 and 7 to play for.

[Frenchy]

1 - Snow bunting?
2 - white-rumped sandpiper?
4 - Sedge Warbler?
7 - must be a Ruff?

[Jurij Hanžel]

1 Rock Bunting
2 I'll opt for a Tringa now, Wood?
7 Ruff

[nickderry]

Ok,
1) Rock bunting - bruant fou
7) Ruff - chevalier combattant/combattant varié

Just waiting for whistling warbler and white-bummed knight, here's a clue, the whistling warbler doesn't really whistle, it trills!

[Frenchy]

Whistling warbler - wood warbler?
white-bummed knight - green sandpiper?

[nickderry]

and we're done!

Wood warbler - pouillot siffleur
Green Sandpiper - chevalier culblanc

Thanks everybody who had a go.

[Jurij Hanžel]

Any chance of another round?

[nickderry]

OK, here's another round.

1) All around the doves!
2) White-fronted duck.
3) Collar-raising lark!
4) Golden thrush.
5) Phragmites of the rushes.
6) Imitating Titjay!
7) Yellow-billed linnet
8) Jay cuckoo
9) Burgomaster gull??!
10) Sparrowhawk Warbler

some of these are really bizarre, truth is stranger than fiction! All the birds can be found in the Collin's guide, not all are European breeders.

[nick patel]

My guesses:

1) Collared dove
2) Greater Scaup
3) Calandra lark
4) Golden oriole
5) Reed warbler
6) no idea!
7) Redpoll
8) Great spotted cuckoo
9) Glaucous gull
10) not a clue!

Nick.

[nickderry]

You've got two Nick,

Jay cuckoo, Great spotted cuckoo, coucou géai.
Burgomaster gull, Glaucous gull, goéland bourgmestre.

All around the doves is going to be very difficult, but here's a clue, it has a reason to be all around the doves!

[KorHaan]

1) Sparrowhawk?
5) Zitting cisticola

Ronald

[nickderry]

Ronald is very close for number 1) and not too far off for number 5)

[nick patel]

1) Peregrine?

Nick.

[nickderry]

1) Peregrine?

Nick.

nope sorry! You missed the first round, peregrine was pilgrim falcon, faucon pélerin.

I'll give the French name for 1 if you promise not to google it! Autour des palombes.

[Dimitris]

OK, here's another round.

1) All around the doves!
2) White-fronted duck.
3) Collar-raising lark!
4) Golden thrush.
5) Phragmites of the rushes.
6) Imitating Titjay!
7) Yellow-billed linnet
8) Jay cuckoo
9) Burgomaster gull??!
10) Sparrowhawk Warbler



I'm glad these are back as well! :)

1) Goshawk??!
2) White-headed Duck
3) far shot: Hoopoe??! (more likely Crested or Thekla Lark)
4) Must be Oriole
5) No idea
6) Crested Tit
7) Yellowhammer
8) & 9) solved
10) a Shrike? Woodchat Shrike??

Cheers!

Dimitris

[Jurij Hanžel]

1 can't be anything else than Goshawk ...
2 let's go for something rare - Surf Scoter
3 Shore Lark??
4 Golden Oriole
5 must be an Acrocephalus, how about a Reed Warbler for starters
6 clueless
7 Twite
8 solved
9 solved
10 has to be a Barred Warbler (I think it bears the same name in German, Sperbergrassmuecke)

[nickderry]

1) Goshawk, autour des palombes.
3) Shore lark, alouette haussecol
5) Is an acrocephalus, but which one?
7) Twite, linotte à bec jaune
10) Barred warbler, fauvette épervière


4) Golden thrush, is a type of thrush, but it's not golden and would get a few of us drooling in Europe!

hmm, a lot more difficult this time!

[jacana]

2) white headed duck???
4) rock thrush?
5) great reed warbler?
6) starling?

[nickderry]

I'm afraid none of those Jacana.

I'll have to give some clues, the duck is not a European breeder, the Thrush comes from cold places far away (far away for me, it depends on where you live of course)
All but imitating titjay are on the British list, think North.

[Dimitris]

4) Is a Zoothera then...has a similar name in Greek. White's Thrush?

[nickderry]

Dimitris has got it.
Golden thrush, grive dorée, White's thrush.

[Jurij Hanžel]

Agree with Dimitris on the Thrush
I suggest Sedge Warbler for the "phragmites of the rushes" and Siberian Jay for the tit-jay.

[jacana]

okay blue winged teal then

[nickderry]

Jurij is spot on with Siberian Jay and Sedge Warbler

Mésangéai imitateur and Phragmite des joncs

Sorry jacana, not BW teal, but you're on the right side of the pond!

[jacana]

okay last shot, then i'll leave it to anyone else...

American wigeon??

[nickderry]

last shot is the right one!

American wigeon, canard à front blanc.