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Make up your own bird names (1 Viewer)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Well-known member
UK birders are currently enjoying a beautiful Red-flanked Bluetail. Apart from being a really gorgeous creature, its name is a perfect description, giving a true sense of the colouration of the little gem.
I was wondering about re-naming (just for fun) certain species to give them a more appropriate description.
For example, the ubiquitous European Starllng might enjoy being known as the Iridescent Wheezybird; the Mistle thrush becomes the Rattling thrush (or turdus); the dunnock is a Twittering ground-creeper; and the Zitting Cisticola reverts to being a Fan-tailed warbler.

Any offers?

Peter
 
When you really can't decide on that Tringa piper, I always like the Greater Lesserlegs (or was it a Lesser Greaterlegs?)
Andy
 
For a bird that has predominantly grey and white wings and isn't what it says on the tin, Black-winged Kite needs a new English name:- Eliano, the Spanish name could work- for the genus at least.

I prefer Zitting Cisticola - the bird is well worth a long close look, learning to say the name is usually less of a hassle. Anyway, if you get one don't worry, the local chemist sells a skin cream for it ;)
 
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I'm sure I've seen Northern Red-breasted Robin-chat mentioned somewhere.

John


Not BB iii (preserved for posterity on Doc Martin's site) had (amongst other suggested name changes):

"Robin TO BECOME Northern Red-breasted Bush-Robin"

Oddly, I remembered it as "Northern Orange-breasted Robin-chat"

...or perhaps that was somewhere else:eat:
 
I'm struggling beyond Greenfinch and Grey Heron at the moment, but I'm sure this is worthy of further thought.

(A suitable topic for what should be a time of birding doldrums. Except there's still new and exciting birds turning up (in the UK at least), and hence a plethora of rarity threads to post insightful comments on instead ;) )
 
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So how about Blue-tailed Red-flank then as an alternative? ;) Maybe not ...

Moth names are great (eg The Alchymist, The Passenger etc), so using the same kind of thing for birds -

The Pavement
The Lesser Pavement

And the Snouts;

Flushing Snout
Cryptic Snout

and

Ruddy Great Snout.


Ferruginous Feathery-Mite and Greater Black-backed Blackwing for two common upland birds.

(I guess latin to follow ... )
 
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In Dutch, the name "Drieteenstrandloper" translates prosaically as Sanderling, but more imaginatively as "Three-toed Strand-loper"...:eat:
MJB
 
It would make taxonomy easier (though fewer ticks) if all gulls were renamed as shitehawks.

Wasn't that a name for Skuas? The early ornithologists mistook the disgorged food for something else!

How about Green-headed Pond Fowl (Mallard)
Kentish Pond Heron (?)
 
(I guess latin to follow ... )

The Pavement (Ratticus Semiaerodynamicus) - Feral Pigeon
The (unrelated) Lesser Pavement - (Cutearseicus wagguscontinuous) - Pied Wagtail

The Snouts are of course a couple of Snipe species and Woodcock.

FFM also known colloquially as the 'Surprisingly Loud Triller' and the GBBB as a 'Kronk'
 
Not my invention, but I always liked the idea of renaming American vultures as condors

So Turkey Condor, Black Condor, King Condor, etc.
 
Wasn't that a name for Skuas? The early ornithologists mistook the disgorged food for something else!

I don't think so. The term was used in the Indian Army in colonial times, and perhaps by the East india Company before that, and it referred to kites, various. It came from the stylised raptor used on uniform brass buttons.

In the early 1960s, while undertaking basic square-bashing on my RAF commissioning course, we had a superb Warrant Officer, Mr Cooke MBE, (complete with waxed moustache). During the first rehearsal in our newly-completed No 1 uniforms for our passing-out parade, Mr Cooke inspected everyone's uniform very closely. He then resumed parade position in front of our serried ranks, and said to one of our Student Officers (commissioned post-university as opposed to from school or from the ranks),

"Mr Evans!"
"Yes Sir?"
"Is the Heagle a dirty bird?"
"Pardon, Mr Cooke?"
"I asked you Mr Evans if the Heagle was a dirty bird?" (Uttered a little more loudly)
"I don't understand, Mr Cooke."
"One of your Heagles is a shitehawk!!!" (In a voice well-suited to Trooping of the Colour)
"?????"
"One of your buttons is sewn on upside-down, and when that Heagle tries to shite, 'e's going to mess 'imself something cruel!!!!!" (A crescendo ending multo fortissimo)

Then, asked very sweetly, with concern,
"Do you understand me now, Mr Evans?"
Yes, Sir!"

Ah, happy days! I wonder where Dai Evans ended up?
MJB
 
How about 'Imbecil' for Twite? (Twit without an 'E')

Hasn't imbecile got an 'e' on the end?

I don't think so. The term was used in the Indian Army in colonial times, and perhaps by the East india Company before that, and it referred to kites, various. It came from the stylised raptor used on uniform brass buttons.

MJB

I stand corrected, I'm sure I read it in 'All the Birds of the Air' by Francesca Greenoak or somewhere? Anyway, Flora Butterbum; http://birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=4222
 
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