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What's your favourite bird name? (1 Viewer)

Yeah, I just realized it was bird name - not bird. I gotta get out more.

I kinda' liked seeing the Torrent Tyrannulet.
 
Many years ago my father and I looked through the new Peterson/Mountfort/Hollom guide to european birds, and we always have a giggle at Andalucian Hemipode so back to post one I suppose for me, and here I am on my last night (of a fortnight) in Andalucia, where I now own a house. One of these days I'll track one down, but sadly I suspect, not in Andalucia...
 
In terms of latin I've always rather liked Prunella vulgaris (Dunnock).

Sounds charmingly like an ugly prune. And also (uniquely?) the latin name for an entirely unrelated plant, Common Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris).


Probably not many people knew that ... ?
 
Oenanthe covers the genera of wheatears and water-dropworts but I don't think any of the species names match up; of course at the higher levels of classification they don't match up at all...(There are probably lots more of these)

cheers, alan
 
Grosbeak. I like the sound of that; it rolls off the tongue. Grosbeak. Grosbeak. I could say it a lot.... Frogmouth, too. I love that one. And egret.
 
birdboybowley said:
Isn't Dunnock Prunella modularis Dan.....? ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think Prunella vulgaris is the plant Selfheal. The two species don't look that similar, but I guess those taxonomists must know what they're doing there :-O

Think wheatears and Hemlock Water Dropwort are in the same genus too!

I like Chaco Chachalaca, and one I've see recently Karoo Eremomela, which is hard to say over and over (try it)
 
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Karoo Eremomola is one of those names you can just see Rowan Atkinson saying. Kabobo Apalis, Usambara Hyliota and Blue-billed Malimbe are a few more.

Chris
 
It certainly was diabolical to find last year (until it divebombed me for obvious reasons).

And while we're talking about religion: “Celestial Monarch” is a rather fine name as well.
 
A funny duo is Luscinia akahige (which in Japanese is called komadori) and Luscinia komadori (which in Japanese is called akahige).
To confuse matters even more, "akahige" means redbeard, which is correct for Luscinia akahige...
 
Welsh Peregrine said:
Would love to see one Sociable Plover in a flock of Solitary Sandpipers.....
Click to expand...

That does bring to mind trying to explain at Eco Pond at the end of the Everglades road to amiable American non-birders why a group of Solitary Sandpipers isn't an existential conundrum!

As to favourite bird names, Asian Fairy Bluebird is pretty good, but its scientific name is Irena puella, 'the girl Irene', which sounds impossibly romantic...

'Mrs Gould's Sunbird' hints at overdue diplomatic compliments from John Gould.

Drab Myzomela has that 'beige' (Billy Connolly™) feel to it.
MJB
 
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