[Richard Klim]

As an antidote to our long-running squabbles about vernacular names, here are some infinitely more inspiring candidates from George Armistead on the ABA Blog: THE TOP 10: Best Colloquial Bird Names.

[Edward]

Interesting Richard.

The one that caught my eye was

"7. Nine-killer
This name and butcherbird are used at times for both of our shrikes, but nine-killer seems more often associated with Northern Shrike. Their gruesome habit of impaling their prey (e.g. songbirds, rodents, and large insects) on thorns and barbed wire led some observers to say that they’d kill nine animals before eating just one."

as the German name for Lanius collurio is Neuntöter. I wonder if the name was brought to North America by German immigrants?

E

[Richard Klim]

Edward, also this from Francesca Greenoak 1997 (British Birds: their Folklore, Names and Literature)...

There is a superstition recorded by both Turner (1544) and Willughby (1678) that the Red-backed Shrike kills nine creatures before it even begins to feed. The name Nine Killer comes from the German Neunmoder.

Nine modern???
PS. or Nine rot.

[l_raty]

Originally Posted by Richard Klim

Nine modern???
PS. or Nine rot.

Neunmörder, presumably...? (nine murderer.)
L -

[fugl]

A new "colloquial" name that I hear occasionally is ""Parking Lot Bird" for Brewer's Blackbird

Of the old timers--now long defunct I imagine--I've always liked "Fly-up-the-crick" (Green Heron) as that's how I saw my first one many years ago, chasing it up the "crick" for a quarter mile before I got the necessary killer look for my life list. A red letter day!

[Ian Lewis]

Having just returned from there, I love the colloquial names used in the Shetland Isles,

Common Eider - Dunter
Long-tailed Duck - Calloo
Red-throated Diver/Loon - Rain Goose
Northern Fulmar - Maalie
European Shag - Scarf
Great Cormorant - Muckle Scarf
Ringed Plover - Sandy Lu
Lapwing - Tieve's Nacket
Eurasian Curlew - Whaap
Whimbrel - Peerie Whaap
Great Skua - Bonxie (used almost universally in the UK)
Arctic Skua - Skooty Alin
Black Guillemot - Tystie
Razorbill - Sea Craa
Atlantic Puffin - Tammy Norie

relatively few passerines have got colloquial names

Ian
Atlantic Puffin -

[Kirk Roth]

[quote=fugl;2469943]A new "colloquial" name that I hear occasionally is ""Parking Lot Bird" for Brewer's Blackbird QUOTE]

For any of the various blackbirds that frequent fast-food parking lots, we call them "Burger Kinglets..."

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by Kirk Roth

For any of the various blackbirds that frequent fast-food parking lots, we call them "Burger Kinglets..."

...closely related to McBirds?

[MJB]

Richard,
I seem to remember that Thomas Bewick bemoaned the number of colloquial names while trying to catalogue his engravings, and so there is a long and honourable history of confusing the pedants and the tidyfiers.

Also, Robert Burns' song, " I have heard the Mavis singing/his love song from above...", the tune being exquisite yet not easy to sing unless you have a decent range.
MJB

[Farnboro John]

Originally Posted by MJB

Also, Robert Burns' song, " I have heard the Mavis singing/his love song from above...", the tune being exquisite yet not easy to sing unless you have a decent range.
MJB

Mavis.... that's a throstle isn't it?

John

[MJB]

Originally Posted by Farnboro John

Mavis.... that's a throstle isn't it? John

The clue was in Burns' words, wasn't it?
MJB
PS When on a bird survey in Turkey, my Turkish colleague told me that the local area name for Calandra Lark was, most appropriately, translateable as 'Heaven-singer'. When the whole sky was filled with Calandra song, then the Skylark's was a mere apprentice-piece; the Calandra chorus was spellbinding.

Irving Berlin's "And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak" is an apt description of such a moment, yet people still ask, 'What on earth do you get out of birding?'
MJB