tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post7624862940718560713..comments2024-01-16T10:47:14.743+01:00Comments on Bell Tower Birding: Names Games, part 2: North AmericaJochenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10852825311605464857noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-22437469839503695572013-03-16T06:23:27.231+01:002013-03-16T06:23:27.231+01:00Howdy! Ι could have ѕworn I've visited this bl...Howdy! Ι could have ѕworn I've visited this blog before but after going through some of the articles I realized it'ѕ <br />neω to me. Anyhow, І'm certainly delighted I found it and I'll bе booκmагkіng іt anԁ chеcκіng back <br />oftеn!<br /><br />Mу blοg post <a href="http://vipshoppingalert.com" rel="nofollow">vip shopping</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-15626641539343059452010-03-29T20:49:26.290+02:002010-03-29T20:49:26.290+02:00I just noticed that the Cap May Warbler has basica...I just noticed that the Cap May Warbler has basically the same translation in French "paruline tigree", or "tiger warbler"Laurenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00137501980898703974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-55878504555434336412009-09-22T07:24:14.081+02:002009-09-22T07:24:14.081+02:00Hi,
the name for the Kiskadee comes from the Port...Hi,<br /><br />the name for the Kiskadee comes from the Portuguese name Bem-te-vi which is an adaptation of the birds call.<br /><br />http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bem-te-vi<br /><br />And if you translate that into English, you'd get something like<br />"Saw you well". :)<br /><br />Cheers!PeFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17852479499756546533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-7047909627619620102009-08-20T19:36:56.628+02:002009-08-20T19:36:56.628+02:00Possibly Brautente is a suggestion that the Wood D...Possibly Brautente is a suggestion that the Wood Duck's crest looks like a veil?<br /><br />I like the family name for the wood warblers – Waldsinger? The names for both Cape May Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler come very close to the scientific names and are very descriptive besides.<br /><br />Birch Siskin is a great descriptor, but I prefer redpoll.John B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00163297234733313179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-70445677055004772362009-08-20T11:49:40.063+02:002009-08-20T11:49:40.063+02:00@ Rick 1 and 2: thanks yet again for your informat...@ Rick 1 and 2: thanks yet again for your information and for enriching my post!! "Ufertyrann" for Pacific slope might just be a result of there not being seperate names yet for the rather recently-split Cordilleran/Pacific-slope. <br />Junko might just be a "practical" approach for German birders who have only English field guides and thus all know the English names but have never heard of the official German name. I would guess that most birders in Germany know what a Junco is but would be completely clueless if you'd start a talk about a winter bunting.<br />And I would also guess that klarino has to do with an instrument.<br /><br />@ Hilke: glad you enjoyed the post. I guess you are right about the origin of the names. The German names committee however got really active in the late 1990ies and a lot of the names were changed then to what they are today. For example, most (but not all) references to persons or regions were eliminated. They simply tried to make the names more logic and attractive to BIRDERS. The times they are a'changing.<br /><br />@Joan: I guess fly-piercer is still marginally better than beardless tyrannulet, but I also don't get why birders (or those in charge of making up names) just don't seem to appreciate the beauty of a drab brown-grey bird.<br /><br />@ Hilke 2: nothing even remotely associated with bird names is off-topic here! Thanks a million for the link!<br /><br />@ Rick 3: thanks for introducing me to yet another hypothesis on the bird's name. Ice Kite (the hawks called Aar in German nowadays are mostly called Kite in English) is by far the best one I've heard, sure beats Iron or Ice bird.<br /><br />@ Arnulf: thanks very much for the link, I wasn't aware of the book yet. With Christmas approaching (we have 37°C today and really LONG for winter) I might hint my wife towards reading the comments section of this post!!<br /><br />@ everyone. as with part 1, I am very happy my posts generated so much interest and comments. Blogging will slow down on Belltowerbirding yet again for a few weeks but I'll see what I can do to follow up with other comparable posts.Jochenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852825311605464857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-26283406739675521122009-08-19T10:03:07.356+02:002009-08-19T10:03:07.356+02:00For more information on German birdnames (for Germ...For more information on German birdnames (for German, not North American birds), you could check out Hugo Suolahti's "Die deutschen Vogelnamen -- Eine wortgeschichtliche Untersuchung" from 1909 that's been reprinted by deGruyter in 2000. It's basically an, at times very entertaining, etymology of most German birdnames.<br />Unfortunately, it seems to be out of print (see <a href="http://tinyurl.com/suolahti" rel="nofollow">info at Amazon</a>), but maybe it'll be available at your local library.Arnulfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12310667820565825608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-52476969140282844822009-08-19T00:16:43.355+02:002009-08-19T00:16:43.355+02:00By the way, I finally made the effort to check int...By the way, I finally made the effort to check into "Eisvogel." <br /><br />The name does originally come from "iron," but "eisarn"=ferric was reanalyzed under the influence of Pliny (the kingfisher lays in the winter...) as "eis ar"="ice predatory bird." <br /><br />Makes a cool bird seem even cooler.Rick Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02801813993105953852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-40549796700513434382009-08-17T01:20:42.164+02:002009-08-17T01:20:42.164+02:00Maybe it's a bit off topic, but there is a fas...Maybe it's a bit off topic, but there is a fascinating article about taxonomy in the NY Times, "Reviving the Lost Art of Naming" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/science/11naming.htmlHilke Brederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18357741278362930033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-53942822879363636452009-08-15T12:34:59.525+02:002009-08-15T12:34:59.525+02:00I had a good smile at some of these plus your rema...I had a good smile at some of these plus your remarks Jochen but the one that really gets me is the fly-piercer? My goodness, what WERE they thinking?? It catches flies and doesn't pierce them. It sounds like some kind of old fashioned duel with rapiers. :)SAPhotographs (Joan)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15993474141491808257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-58399619172880917032009-08-14T22:12:51.817+02:002009-08-14T22:12:51.817+02:00Interesting compilation of names. Brautente: hilar...Interesting compilation of names. Brautente: hilarious to call a male wood duck bride-duck. Did somebody confuse the genders? <br /><br />I assume most of these German names were invented in the 19th or early 20th century for collectors who wanted to show off their collection of bird skins to friends and guests or donate them to a museum. Latin names would simply not do. According to Bernd Heinrich's The Snoring Bird, writing about his father who made a living out of collecting and preserving exotic birds, skins of rare birds were highly prized by museums and private collectors alike. Much of what was considered natural science then consisted of classifying and naming, Latin names of course, which then had to be translated for into German for public consumption.Hilke Brederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18357741278362930033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-45347541632888032832009-08-14T19:04:09.690+02:002009-08-14T19:04:09.690+02:00PS: "Klarino" probably refers to the mus...PS: "Klarino" probably refers to the musical instrument--Townsend's Solitaire has a very long, fluty song.Rick Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02801813993105953852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2647395313001100441.post-58196733200757754132009-08-14T18:31:51.395+02:002009-08-14T18:31:51.395+02:00Jochen's right, of course: most of these names...Jochen's right, of course: most of these names are so obviously contrived (so "sentimental" in the Schillerian sense) that there's not much to say about them.<br /><br />Brautente simply translates the scientific epithet sponsa, referring to the drake's wedding finery.<br /><br />Krabbenreiher is very unfortunate, leading to possible confusion with Squacco Heron (crabier in French, if I remember right).<br /><br />Ufertyrann is a very poor choice for Pacific-slope Flycatcher; it's really Cordilleran that nests in crevices in banks.<br /><br />The kiskadee name is nonsense, apparently an attempt to transcribe the common call, which does definitely have a "v" sound in it (think Lapwing in display), but "Bentevi"--come on!<br /><br />Meisenhaeher is great--many subspecies of Gray Jay really do look like great overgrown shaggy chickadees.<br /><br />My favorite of the ones Jochen cites is Klapperammer: obviously formed with reference to Klappergrasmuecke, which ends its song (one of my favorites) with a trill somewhat like a dried-out Field Sparrow's. And Dachsammer is right on, too.<br /><br />I remember German birders calling juncos Junkos; is that passe'?<br /><br />Trupial is simply troupial; no need for yet more "orioles" in the world!<br /><br />I've enjoyed reading these, Jochen; thanks!Rick Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02801813993105953852noreply@blogger.com