• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Acros and Acronyms- birding terms explained! - beginning birders (2 Viewers)

Kev Rylands said:
And of course I hope you are all raspberries ;)


Of course I am: but locally most of the people I know use raspberry to denote someone a bit above a dude but not quite a birder - probably does group trips but not much birding in between, can handle pretty much all the garden birds but may want help with the odd calidrid. Nice people usually and unstressed.

John
 
Some abbreviations are pretty obvious - Larids, corvids, callidrids are really just English forms of Laridae corvidae etc.
As an aside, I think that most moth'ers use abbreviations, too. LBBYU seems easier than lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing; and large yellow blunderwing is a reference to the habit of the rather too common large yellow underwing's annoying habit of suddenly becoming active and flying madly around your head. I use MduJ for merveille du jour, and most mother's would instantly recognise that. I'm sure there are others, too. (Generic names are often used, as in birding, for moths that are easily identified to generic level but may need dissection to get beyond that.)
 
Blimey, I'm guessing I'd be a raspberry... do birders really take the piss so much out of people who aren't absolute experts on everything?!
 
NaturePete said:
Blimey, I'm guessing I'd be a raspberry... do birders really take the piss so much out of people who aren't absolute experts on everything?!

Labels labels labels . . . . Raspberry may be meant to be jokey or demeaning (haven't come across it in use before, myself), but certainly it doesn't come across as the most useful and enlightening term to use . . . . There's still plenty of other more relevant birding terms and ornithological acronyms and words out there which can be posted on this thread. . . .
 
Last edited:
Some more which I believe have not yet been covered:

Mega: Very rare species. A species whose rarity value is such that the commited twitcher will usually take a sicky within 24 hours to connect with it. Usually several will occur annually on the UK mainland, with more occurring on the far flung islands outposts. Firsts for Britain obviously, also once-in-a-decade species and otherwise often very tricky, stunning or hard to get species.

Purple Patch: Short time period in which an individual or distinct area will rejoice in superlative bird records. Eg a small inland reservoir enjoys 2 Uk Scarcities and a rarity all within the same week. Or you may have an exceptional month for finding your own rarities.

Bogey Bird: A bird which remains elusive, despite the odds. eg not having seen Long eared owl, even after numerous trips to 'supposed' 'dead cert' roost sites, or not recording a common bird like Redshank on local reservoir patch.
Or a seasoned twitcher continually dipping on a 'common' rarity, such as Gyrfalcon, just missing out or being unable to twitch due to other ufortunate events, such as being on holiday abroad or unexpected death in the family. . .

Passage migrant: Bird typically seen only on passage in this country (although may also rarely breed or overwinter) eg the likes of Hoopoe and Bluethroat. 'On passage', or passing through!

Fall: mass grounding of migrants, usually on the coast after certain weather conditions. Typically rain forces migrants down on the first available land after birds have been caught up in bad weather en route from the continent. May include rarities and scarcities, but typically large numbers of 'common' migrants such as Willow Warbler or Robin (date dependant), sometimes even only a single species being involved.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for posting this thread. I've read the term 'stringer' many times, but never really could figure out exactly what it meant except that it was used as an insult.

Maybe the Admin could post a link to this thread in the same 'message' to newcomers that has the link to post in the 'Welcome Thread'.
 
NaturePete said:
Blimey, I'm guessing I'd be a raspberry... do birders really take the piss so much out of people who aren't absolute experts on everything?!

Birdwatchers are not immune to the tribal customs of humans across the world: reinforcing bonds within groups identified as similar and highlighting differences from groups seen as not similar, usually by denigrating the latter and assuming an air of superiority over them.

The nature of the typical Briton is to do this by taking the piss, and it can be as heavily directed towards experts as towards those less expert. Just check out our own dear media - an expert tripping up is news and the hounds bay on the track at once.

Why can't we all live together in peace and harmony? 42. No, doesn't fit.

John
 
I do think it's a shame because it makes people fear for being wrong. And that's how people learn... "My god is that a Caspain Plover?!", "No it's just a Grey Plover because...". Rather than "My god is that a Caspian Plover?!", followed by peals of derisive laughter.
 
And of course I hope you are all raspberries ;)

Raspberry may be meant to be jokey or demeaning (haven't come across it in use before, myself), but certainly it doesn't come across as the most useful and enlightening term to use . . . .

Just another birding acronym. Raspberry = RSPB (if said quickly!), so a raspberry is anyone who is an RSPB member, so we should all be one!
 
Tim Allwood said:
Mong - Norwich colloquial - used to address the less than experienced type that races about everywhere - The mongs spannered the Bean Goose.
That's a very interesting one! In Dutch a similar term (which is originally derived from cycle-racing) is used for twitchers that turn up after a few days (and also -rarely- for seabirds that are seen a day after an influx). Makes me wonder if it's a Dutch loan...
 
You don't seem to hear so much about LBJs as when I started birding - probably because people are better at IDing the little brown jobs these days.
 
Jizz - The general demeanour, behaviour and "aura" of a bird, that can be a useful aid in distinguishing between similar species. Can be hard to explain to others who aren't familiar with the species. Probably not one to use among non-birders in the UK, where "jizz" is slang for semen - ie "I knew it was a tree pipit not a meadow pipit - to me its jizz felt completely different".

Yuck Duck - A hybrid of a wild duck (usually a mallard) and a domestic breed. These, as well as not being aesthetically pleasing, can lead to wasted peering through scopes at bizarre plumage, and waste lake space that could be otherwise filled with tickable birds ;)
 
dantheman said:
Local patch worker- person who confines their main birding activity to their local area, often quite small such as a single reservoir, clifftop area, nature reserve etc
Description is fine, but "worker" sounds a bit odd to me. Local patch birder is one possible alternative.

BOU - British Ornithologists' Union
BOURC - British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee

Perhaps someone could add "wreck" and "UK400"?
 
Xenospiza said:
That's a very interesting one! In Dutch a similar term (which is originally derived from cycle-racing) is used for twitchers that turn up after a few days (and also -rarely- for seabirds that are seen a day after an influx). Makes me wonder if it's a Dutch loan...


I have a suspicion it has more to do with the old pejorative for a Down's Syndrome sufferer, so Mong = a downy bird - perhaps not....oh, please yourselves.

John
 
Pishing: making psshh psshh psshh sounds in order to attract little birds. Others kiss the back of your hand for the best effect, or make clicking or squeeky sounds... Depending on the bird you'll arouse its curiosity, leave it indifferent, or drive it away.
Wreck: a sudden appearance of large numbers of (often moribund) seabirds. Examples are Leach's Petrel, Little Auk and (in the southern hemisphere) Prions.
 
Xenospiza said:
Pishing: making psshh psshh psshh sounds in order to attract little birds. Others kiss the back of your hand for the best effect, or make clicking or squeeky sounds... Depending on the bird you'll arouse its curiosity, leave it indifferent, or drive it away.
this one is worth a thread on its own... in fact I bet there is one.
 
leeched - beset by leeches in an unpleasant manner in an Asian forest. They even get into your pants! - I got leeched on my *****

I can add "gnatted" after my recent trip, I was almost eaten alive by loads of gnats.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top