new idea: English names for Clapper/King Rail split (1 Viewer)

[Nutcracker]

(And it's common practice for vernacular names to reflect the core ranges of species.)

Yep, exactly. And sometimes, not even that.

In Parulidae alone, one needs only think of Connecticut Warbler (an uncommon passage migrant in CT, hardly core range!), Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler.

Are there even any birds at all named after any US state that are truly endemic to the state they are named after? Closest I can think of is California Thrasher (Alta & Baja CA, and vagrant in Oregon, from Sibley's map).

 

[Richard Klim]

Are there even any birds at all named after any US state that are truly endemic to the state they are named after? Closest I can think of is California Thrasher (Alta & Baja CA, and vagrant in Oregon, from Sibley's map).

As I commented in the original thread...

California Quail, California Condor, California Gull, California Scrub Jay and California Towhee are not endemic to California/Baja California (although the towhee almost qualifies!).

 

[lewis20126]

Yep, exactly. And sometimes, not even that.

In Parulidae alone, one needs only think of Connecticut Warbler (an uncommon passage migrant in CT, hardly core range!), Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler.

Are there even any birds at all named after any US state that are truly endemic to the state they are named after? Closest I can think of is California Thrasher (Alta & Baja CA, and vagrant in Oregon, from Sibley's map).

Florida Scrub Jay? Or are there old records from further north?

cheers, alan

 

[Jos Stratford]

Are there even any birds at all named after any US state that are truly endemic to the state they are named after? .

Not an answer to the question, but I do find it slightly amusing that the official State bird of Utah is California Gull


(apparently good reason though, California Gull save the State from famine or something by eating lots of crickets in the 1800s)

 

[Kirk Roth]

Yep, exactly. And sometimes, not even that.

In Parulidae alone, one needs only think of Connecticut Warbler (an uncommon passage migrant in CT, hardly core range!), Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler.

Are there even any birds at all named after any US state that are truly endemic to the state they are named after? Closest I can think of is California Thrasher (Alta & Baja CA, and vagrant in Oregon, from Sibley's map).

You could have picked some better warbler examples. Kentucky is actually very central to the Kentucky Warbler's breeding range and is a great place to find them. Tennessee is actually almost dead center in that warbler's range, if you're considering breeding, wintering, AND migratory occurrence!

But by and large, I do agree that "California Clapper Rail" is a better geographical fit than many of these birds which were simply named after the first place a specimen was found. I suppose that the Magenta Petrel's core range is supposed to be the Italian frigate Magenta.

 

[chris butterworth]

There are a whole bunch of names that don't 'fit'. Pelagic Cormorant is coastal, White-faced Ibis doesn't have a white face ( same with the wings on White-winged Scoter and Crossbill ), Canada Goose - enough said, Virgina Rail is found throughout southern Canada, the US and, in winter, Mexico, all Pluvialis Plovers have black bellies. The list is almost endless. If a name describes the birds main habitat, as in "Mangrove" or "Saltmarsh" or is used to commemorate someone or an extinct culture found in the general area of distribution then, vague as the connection may seem, it removes confusion.

 

[chris butterworth]

* I suppose that the Magenta Petrel's core range is supposed to be the Italian frigate Magenta.

Even after I discovered it was named after the frigate I couldn't help envisaging a magenta Petrel. :eek!:

 

[DMW]

Are there even any birds at all named after any US state that are truly endemic to the state they are named after? Closest I can think of is California Thrasher (Alta & Baja CA, and vagrant in Oregon, from Sibley's map).

Quite a few things with "Hawaiian" or "Hawaii" in their name...

 

[Kingbird77]

State endemics

Florida Scrub-Jay springs to mind.