The east side of the Olympics is a staircase of thrushes. The low country is for American Robins. As you get into woodsy habitat, you’ll hear the spiral song of Swainson’s Thrushes. After that, among the tall old growth along the streams, the ethereal Varied Thrush. Finally, up near timberline, you’ll hear singing Hermit Thrushes. Freeman and colleagues are tracking how these ranges are shifting with the climate.
Two 5-minute point counts at each stop as you gain elevation. June 1 to July 15. Entered into eBird. Shared with the Mountain Bird Network.
That’s all Ben Freeman, a post-doc at University of British Columbia, is asking for. And it can be any mountain, any canyon, any road.
To get the party started, here are my proposals for new bird names for 82 species. I also provide a lot of historic and current alternatives.
Ross’s Gull’s Latin name Rhodostethia rosea can be translated as Rosy Gull. Indeed, the bird is called Rosy Gull throughout most of the world.
In a previous blogpost, I documented the history of honorific bird names in the United States. Some basic facts emerged. The practice became common in the early to mid-1800s, after most eastern species had already been given descriptive English names. Thus, 58% of honorific names are western species. They were often named by ornithologists after each other, or after colleagues or supporters, or their wives or daughters (first names for women). Remarkably a third do not have Latin names that match their English honorific name (e.g. Cassin’s Auklet is Ptychoramphus aleuticus, or Aleutian Auklet), almost always because the species was described twice, with the second time (usually Audubon) providing the honorific name. When it was realized the species had been previously described, they followed international protocol and reverted to the original Latin name.
Moving forward, the AOS is now considering new English names for potentially all species with honorific names. As controversial as that may be, coming up with new names is very much the fun part. Here is my personal exercise in that.
For each of these 82 species, I provide their current English name, the meaning of their Latin name, other historic names, the meaning of any subspecies names (leaving off the nominate subspecies), names in other languages, and, finally, my proposals for a new English name (or reverting to a previous name, as the case may be).
Caveats: 1) translating Latin is not clear-cut; there are options for each name. 2) My research on other historic names is undoubtedly incomplete; please add more in the comments. I relied largely on the Birds of the World species accounts and Grinnell and Miller (1944) for these. 3) Translating the names in other languages is definitely as much art as science. I used some online dictionaries, but it was clear they were struggling at times with the nuance. At times I felt like a bewildered traveler unfamiliar with the local slang. I encourage Native speakers to provide clarification.
I was struck that, more often than not, other languages eschewed American English honorifics. For example, Sprague’s Pipit is known as Prairie Pipit in Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. Worldwide species such as Leach’s and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel are predominately known by other names around the world (e.g. Northern and Oceanic Storm-Petrel, respectively, among other names).
This opens the door to a rich tableau of alternative names. Hands down my favorite non-English name goes to Haitian Creole’s moniker for Blackburnian Warbler: Little Flamboyant Warbler. A special shout-out to Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, and Slovak, which almost always avoid honorifics and use a descriptive moniker. I became a big fan of Norwegian, which often relies on habitat-based names (e.g. Chaparral Sparrow for Bell’s Sparrow, Yucca Oriole for Scott’s Oriole).
The Norwegian list also includes several indigenous-based names (e.g. Eskimo Goose, Navajo Thrasher, Shoshone Sparrow, and Apache Sparrow). Following guidance on tribal consultation (“nothing about us without us”), the selection of such a name should involve discussions with relevant tribes. I’ll dedicate a blog post to indigenous-based names in the future.
Regarding my proposed new names, I gave priority to previous historic names, whether they be in English or derived from Latin, as well as to ideas from other languages. I am confident that others can come up with gems that are better proposals than mine.
Originally called the Horned Wavey, the bird is known as the White Goose, Dwarf Goose, and Eskimo Goose in other languages.
Ross’s Goose
Meaning of Latin name: Ross’s Goose
Other historic names: Horned Wavey, Ross Snow Goose
Names in other languages: White (Croatian, Czech), Dwarf/Pygmy (Danish, Swedish), Eskimo (Finnish, Norwegian), Lesser/Little Snow (German, Portuguese, Slovenian, Turkish), Blizzard (Polish), Snowflake (Slovak)
My proposals: Little Snow Goose, Ivory Goose
Steller’s Eider
Meaning of Latin name: Steller’s Eider
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Bald (Czech), Siberian (Lithuanian), Lesser (Slovak, Spanish), Russian (Slovenian), Bird-that-sat-in-the-campfire (Inupiat)
My proposals: Fire Eider, Charred Eider, Flaming Eider, Flammulated Eider
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Meaning of Latin name: Iceland Goldeneye
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: American (Finish), Iceland (most languages)
My proposals: Crescent Goldeneye, Northern Goldeneye
Described in the 1800s, birds of the southwest disproportionately have honorific names. This quail frequents dry washes filled with mesquite.
Gambel’s Quail
Meaning of Latin name: Gambel’s Quail
Other historic names: Desert Quail
Meaning of subspecies names: Forgiving/Gracious, Pemberton’s, Tawny-breasted, Stephens’s
Names in other languages: Desert (Finnish), Helmeted (German), Black-bellied (Norwegian), Pointed (Polish), Headbanded (Slovak), Oak (Swedish)
My proposals: Mesquite Quail, Arroyo Quail, Desert Quail
Clark’s Grebe
Meaning of Latin name: Clark’s Grebe
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Transitional
Names in other languages: Mexican (Finnish), White-faced (French), Yellow-billed (Norwegian, Polish), White-fronted (Slovak), Orange-billed (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Elegant Grebe, White-faced Grebe, Pallid Grebe
Vaux’s Swift
Meaning of Latin name: Vaux’s Swift
Other historic names: American Swift, Oregon Swift
Meaning of subspecies names: Gaumer’s, Tamaulipas, Richmond’s, Pale-rumped, Invisible
Names in other languages: Gray-bellied (German, Polish), Brown (Norwegian), Common (Spanish-Costa Rica)
My proposals: Forest Swift
Known previously as Magnificent, and then reverting to Rivoli’s when split, it’s Latin name is Glittering Hummingbird.
Rivoli’s Hummingbird
Meaning of Latin name: Glittering Hummingbird
Other historic names: Magnificent (when lumped with Talamanca Hummingbird)
Names in other languages: Purple-crowned Brilliant Hummingbird (German), Glowing Brim (Icelandic), Purple (Norwegian), Thin-billed Amethyst (Polish), Honey (Slovak), Magnificent (Spanish)
My proposals: Glittering Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird
Meaning of Latin name: Anna’s Hummingbird
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Sedentary
Names in other languages: Red-faced (Norwegian), Ruby-bearded (Finnish), Red-headed (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Winter Hummingbird
Costa’s Hummingbird
Meaning of Latin name: Costa’s Hummingbird
Other historic names: Ruffed Hummingbird, Coast Hummingbird
Names in other languages: Violet-headed (German, Spanish-Mexico), Desert (Norwegian), California (Polish)
My proposals: Desert Hummingbird, Xeric Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird
Meaning of Latin name: Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) for “hummingbird” (so really meant for Rufous)
Other historic names: Nootka Hummingbird (original Latin name for Rufous, with which Allen’s was lumped)
Names in other languages: Green-backed Cinnamon/Rufous (German), Chaparral (Norwegian), California (Polish)
My proposals: Pacific Hummingbird, Coastal Hummingbird, California Hummingbird, Chumash Hummingbird
Ridgway’s Rail
Meaning of Latin name: Plain Rail
Other historic names: Clapper Rail (when lumped), Red-breasted Rail
Meaning of subspecies names: Light-footed, Belding’s, Yuma
Names in other languages: California (Dutch, French, Polish, Slovak), Pacific Coast (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Pacific Rail
Wilson’s Plover
Meaning of Latin name: Wilson’s Plover
Other historic names: Belding Plover
Meaning of subspecies names: Belding’s, Cinnamon, Thick-billed
My proposals: Arenaceous Sandpiper, Nunavut Sandpiper, Long-winged Sandpiper
Wilson’s Snipe
Meaning of Latin name: Delicate/Elegant Snipe
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: American (Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Serbian), North American (Czech, Spanish-Mexico), Short-legged (Haitian), Indian (Norwegian), Shrill (Spanish-Venezuela)
My proposals: Elegant Snipe, Winnowing Snipe
Wilson’s Phalarope
Meaning of Latin name: Tricolored Phalarope
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Tricolored (Croatian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish), Long-billed (Czech, Spanish-Mexico, Venezuela), American (Danish, Finnish, Latvian, Romanian), Large/Great (Dutch, Lithuanian, Turkish), White-tailed (Norwegian), Common (Spanish-Argentina, Uruguay)
My proposals: Tricolored Phalarope
Kittlitz’s Murrelet
Meaning of Latin name: Short-billed Murrelet
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Short-billed (Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish), Mountain (Icelandic), Gray (Slovak), Brown (Swedish)
My proposals: Glacier Murrelet, Short-billed Murrelet
Scripps’s Murrelet
Meaning of Latin name: Scripps’s Murrelet
Other historic names: Xantus’s (when lumped with Craveri’s and Guadalupe)
Names in other languages: Black-tailed (Croatian), California (German, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish), Mourning (Polish), White-winged California (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: California Murrelet
Craveri’s Murrelet
Meaning of Latin name: Murrelet
Other historic names: Xantus’s (when lumped with Scripps’s)
Names in other languages: Mexican (Croatian, Norwegian), Baja California (German, Swedish, Turkish), California (Polish), Dark-winged (Slovak), Dark-winged California (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Mexican Murrelet, Baja Murrelet
Cassin’s Auklet
Meaning of Latin name: Aleutian Auklet
Other historic names: Aleutian Auklet (first described before Cassin was born)
Meaning of subspecies names: Southern
Names in other languages: Aleutian (German), Black (Polish), Ashy/Smoky (Slovak, Turkish), Somber (Spanish), Dark (Spanish-Mexico),
My proposals: Pacific Auklet, Ashy Auklet
Sabine’s Gull
Meaning of Latin name: Sabine’s Gull
Other historic names: Fork-tailed Gull
Meaning of subspecies names: Palearctic, Chukhotski, Voznesensky
Names in other languages: Little Black-headed (Dutch, Turkish), Tree (Icelandic, Swedish), Canada Hooded (Norwegian), Canadian (Polish), American (Portuguese), American River (Slovenian), Little/Small (Spanish-Cuba)
Meaning of Latin name: Aztec Gull (Nahuatl for “gull”)
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Prairie (Finish, German, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Swedish), Rosy (Spanish-Venezuela), Little (Spanish-Paraguay and Argentina)
My proposals: Prairie Gull
Over 95% of the world’s Heermann’s Gulls come from tiny Isla Rasa in the Gulf of California, Mexico.
Heermann’s Gull
Meaning of Latin name: Heermann’s Gull
Other historic names: White-headed Gull, Belcher Gull
Names in other languages: Mexican (Finnish, Spanish), Ashy (Norwegian), Snowy (Polish), Coastal (Slovak), Leaden/Plumbeous (Spanish-Mexico), White-headed (Swedish)
My proposals: Isla Rasa Gull, Plumbeous Gull, Mexican Gull, Baja Gull
Forster’s Tern
Meaning of Latin name: Forster’s Tern
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: North American (Czech), Prairie (Danish, Norwegian), Silver (Finnish), Fork-tailed (Haitian), Pond (Hungarian), Black-eared (Polish), Marsh (Slovak, Swedish), American River (Slovenian), Masked (Turkish)
My proposals: Marsh Tern
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Meaning of Latin name: Oceanic Storm-Petrel
Other historic names: Yellow-webbed Storm-Petrel
Meaning of subspecies names: Exasperating, Chilean
Names in other languages: Ordinary/Common (Afrikaans), Yellow-footed (Czech, Polish), Southern (Finnish, Greek), Variegated (German), Oceanic (Icelandic, Spanish-Dom Rep), Brown (Indonesian), Antarctic (Slovenian), Brownish-Gray (Spanish-Uruguay)
My proposals: Oceanic Storm-Petrel
Leach’s Storm-Petrel
Meaning of Latin name: White-rumped Storm-Petrel
Other historic names: Mother Cary’s Chicken
Meaning of subspecies names: Chapman’s
Names in other languages: Forked/Swallow-tailed (Afrikaans, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish), Large (Basque), Northern (Asturian, Catalan, Czech, Latvian, Lithuanian, Spanish), Great (Danish), Storm Fairy (Finnish), White-rumped (French, Haitian), Wave Runner (German), Sea Swallow (Icelandic), Storm Swallow (Norwegian)
My proposals: Northern Storm-Petrel
Cory’s Shearwater
Meaning of Latin name: Diomedes/White Shearwater
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Northern
Names in other languages: Brown (Basque), Ashy (Catalan, French), Gray (Czech), Kuhl’s or Atlantic (Danish), Kuhl’s (Dutch), Macaronesian (Finnish), Sepia (German), Great/Northern (Italian), Yellow-billed (Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Slovenian, Swedish), Mediterranean (Portuguese-Brazil), Fairy (Slovak), Cinderella (Spanish), Large (Spanish-Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela)
My proposals: if split with Scopoli’s, Diomedes/White/Silver Shearwater and Northern Shearwater
I own older bird books that call this both Gray-backed and New Zealand Shearwater.
Buller’s Shearwater
Meaning of Latin name: Buller’s Shearwater
Other historic names: New Zealand Shearwater, Gray-backed Shearwater, Ashy-black Shearwater
Names in other languages: Gray-backed (Czech, German, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Spanish, Turkish), Gray (Swedish)
My proposals: Gray-backed Shearwater, New Zealand Shearwater, Elegant Shearwater
Audubon’s Shearwater
Meaning of Latin name: l’Herminier’s Shearwater
Other historic names: Dusky-backed Shearwater
Meaning of subspecies names: Miller’s
Names in other languages: Seaweed (Icelandic), Equatorial (Polish), Broad-winged (Portuguese), Ocean/Oceanic (Slovak)
My proposals: Gulf Stream Shearwater
Brandt’s Cormorant
Meaning of Latin name: Paintbrush/Painted/Plumed Cormorant
Other historic names: Plumed Cormorant, Green Cormorant
Names in other languages: Blue-throated (Croatian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish), Paintbrush (German), Plumed (Polish), Short-tailed (Slovak), Sergeant (Spanish)
My proposals: Plumed Cormorant
Cooper’s Hawk
Meaning of Latin name: Cooper’s Hawk
Other historic names: Blue-backed Hawk, Mexican Hawk
Names in other languages: Smooth (Norwegian)
My proposals: Woodland Hawk, Blue-backed Hawk, Stealthy Hawk
Harris’s Hawk
Meaning of Latin name: Banded Hawk
Other historic names: Bay-winged Hawk
Meaning of subspecies names: Bay-winged
Names in other languages: Desert (Dutch, German), Knight (Finnish), Sand (Icelandic), Cactus (Norwegian, Swedish), Social (Polish), Bay-winged (Portuguese, Slovenian), Four-colored (Slovak), Mixed (Spanish), Red-and-black (Spanish-Mexico), Walking (Spanish-Venezuela)
My proposals: Bay-winged Hawk, Cactus Hawk, Social Hawk, Coyote Hawk
Other languages often avoid American honorifics in place of ecology-based names. This bird is known as the Prairie Hawk across much of Europe. In its wintering grounds, it is called the Grasshopper Hawk.
Swainson’s Hawk
Meaning of Latin name: Swainson’s Hawk
Other historic names: Rocky Mountain Buzzard, Canada Buzzard, Brown Hawk, Sharp-winged Hawk
Names in other languages: White-throated (Czech), Prairie (Dutch, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Swedish), Grasshopper (Spanish-Argentina, Chile, Paraguay)
My proposals: Prairie Hawk, Plains Hawk, Sharp-winged Hawk
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Meaning of Latin name: Lewis’s Woodpecker (previously, Collared Woodpecker)
Other historic names: Black Woodpecker (by Lewis)
Names in other languages: Blood-faced (German), Crow Woodpecker (Icelandic, Swedish), Flycatching Woodpecker (Norwegian), Pink-bellied (Polish)
My proposals: Crow Woodpecker, Wandering Woodpecker, Painted Woodpecker
Williamson’s Sapsucker
Meaning of Latin name: Shielded Sapsucker
Other historic names: Black-breasted Sapsucker, Brown-headed Woodpecker, Round-headed Woodpecker, Brown Woodpecker
Meaning of subspecies names: Natalie
Names in other languages: Mountain (Dutch), Pine (German, Norwegian), Shielded (Icelandic), Black/Dark-headed (Polish, Swedish), Dark (Spanish), Elegant (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Mountain Sapsucker, Montane Sapsucker, Conifer Sapsucker, Larch Sapsucker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Meaning of Latin name: Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: California (Norwegian, Polish, Serbian, Spanish-Mexico), Chaparral
My proposals: Oak Woodpecker, California Woodpecker
Couch’s Kingbird
Meaning of Latin name: Couch’s Kingbird
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Texas (Dutch, German, Polish, Russian), Mayan (Norwegian), Whistling (Spanish), Mexican (Swedish, Turkish)
My proposals: Whistling Kingbird, Mexican Kingbird, Veracruz Kingbird, Mayan Kingbird
This bird was called a vociferous tyrant by Swainson when Cassin was just 13 years old.
Cassin’s Kingbird
Meaning of Latin name: Vociferous/Noisy Kingbird
Other historic names: Noisy Kingbird
Meaning of subspecies names: Different-winged
Names in other languages: Squeaky/Noisy/Screaming (Icelandic, Polish, Spanish), Scrub (Norwegian)
My proposals: Vociferous Kingbird
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Meaning of Latin name: Hammond’s Flycatcher
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Spruce (Dutch, Norwegian, Slovak), Fir (German, Polish),
My proposals: Lodgepole Flycatcher, Mountain Flycatcher
Say’s Phoebe
Meaning of Latin name: Say’s Phoebe
Other historic names: Black-tailed Phoebe
Meaning of subspecies names: Peaceful/Tranquil/Quiet, Pale/Pallid
Names in other languages: Brown (Finnish, Norwegian), Rufous-bellied (French, Swedish), Cinnamon-bellied (German), Land/Terrestrial (Icelandic), Plain (Slovak), Plains (Spanish)
My proposals: Mesa Phoebe, Plains Phoebe, Cinnamon Phoebe
Bell’s Vireo
Meaning of Latin name: Bell’s Vireo
Other historic names: Greenlet
Meaning of subspecies names: Intermediate, Arizona, Least/Tiny
Names in other languages: Brown-eyed (German), Floodplain (Slovak), Chaparral (Swedish)
My proposals: Riparian Vireo
Hutton’s Vireo
Meaning of Latin name: Hutton’s Vireo
Other historic names: Dusky Vireo
Meaning of subspecies names: Pacific (group), Island, Dusky, Parkes’s, Mountain/Sierra, Unitt’s, Oberholser’s, Connected; Interior (group), Stephens’s, Caroline’s, Peaceful, Mexican, Volcano
Names in other languages: Greenish (Icelandic, Polish), Oak (Norwegian), Kinglet Vireo (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Oak Vireo, Live Oak Vireo
Cassin’s Vireo
Meaning of Latin name: Cassin’s Vireo
Other historic names: Solitary Vireo (when lumped with Plumbeous and Blue-headed)
Meaning of subspecies names: San Lucas
Names in other languages: Ash-green (Icelandic), California (Norwegian), Olive (Polish), Spectacled (Slovak)
My proposals: Gray-headed Vireo, Spectacled Vireo
One of the first birds given an honorific name (by a Russian expedition in the late 1700s), a recent study shows the Pacific and Rocky Mountain birds have been separate for four million years and have different habitat preferences.
Steller’s Jay
Meaning of Latin name: Steller’s Jay
Other historic names: Sierra Jay, Blue-fronted Jay, California Mountain Jay, Crested Jay
Meaning of subspecies names: Charlotte, Fronted, Coal, Connecting, Long-crested, Diademed, Phillips, Crowned, Purple, Aztec, Teotepec, Ridgway, Azure, Pleasant
Names in other languages: Pine (Norwegian), Diademed (German), Crested (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: assuming a split, Forest Jay (along the Pacific) and Mountain Jay (Rocky Mtn interior)
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Meaning of Latin name: Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Nevada, Texas, Gray, Dark-blue, Sumichrast’s, Remote
Names in other languages: Juniper (Norwegian), Woodland (Polish), Hooded (Slovak), Necklaced (Spanish-Mexico), Inland (Swedish)
My proposals: Juniper Scrub-jay
Clark’s Nutcracker
Meaning of Latin name: Columbian Nutcracker
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Gray (Dutch, Polish, Swedish), American (Finish, French, Russian, Serbian, Spanish), Pine (German, Norwegian)
My proposals: Alpine Nutcracker, Pine Nutcracker, Timberline Nutcracker
Bewick’s Wren
Meaning of Latin name: Bewick’s Wren
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Desert-loving, Obscure/Hidden, Pulich’s, Sada’s, Mexican, Fine-voiced/Melodious, Thicket/Wood-dwelling, Marin, Spot-tailed, White-browed, Beautiful-tailed, Cerros Island, Magdalena, Short-tailed
Names in other languages: Gray (Icelandic), Long-tailed (Norwegian, Spanish-Mexico), Mousey (Polish), Garden (Slovak), Black-tailed (Spanish), Thicket (Swedish)
My proposals: Thicket Wren, Long-tailed Wren
Bendire’s Thrasher
Meaning of Latin name: Bendire’s Thrasher
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: White/Glittering, Ruddy
Names in other languages: Cactus (Dutch, German, Polish, Slovak), Navajo (Norwegian), Short-billed (Spanish)
My proposals: Yucca Thrasher
LeConte’s Thrasher
Meaning of Latin name: LeConte’s Thrasher
Other historic names: Yuma Thrasher
Meaning of subspecies names: McMillan’s, Desert (Vizcaino)
Names in other languages: Desert (Dutch, German), Mohave (Norwegian, Swedish), Sand (Polish), Steppe (Slovak), Pale/Pallid (Spanish),
My proposals: Yuma Thrasher, Sand Thrasher, Xeric Thrasher
The America’s most northerly solitaire is a juniper specialist.
Townsend’s Solitaire
Meaning of Latin name: Townsend’s Solitaire
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Fine-voiced/Melodious
Names in other languages: Mountain (Dutch), Squeaky (Icelandic), Gray (Norwegian), Clarinet (Polish), Northern (Spanish, Swedish)
My proposals: Juniper Solitaire, Northern Solitaire, Clarinet Solitaire
Bicknell’s Thrush
Meaning of Latin name: Bicknell’s Thrush
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Newfoundland (Czech), Mountain (Danish), Forest (Norwegian), Wandering (Polish), Brown (Slovak)
My proposals: Fir Thrush
Divided into the Russet-backed and Olive-backed groups, Swainson’s Thrush is also known by a variety of names that describe its appearance or habitat.
Swainson’s Thrush
Meaning of Latin name: Burnt/Burnished Thrush
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Russet-backed: Phillip’s, Musical; Olive-backed: Hoary, Appalachian, Swainson’s
Names in other languages: Dwarf (Croatian, Dutch), Western (Czech), Olive (Danish, French, German, Slovak), Brown Forest (Norwegian), Spectacled (Polish, Portuguese, Spanish-Mexico), Spruce (Slovenian), Boreal/Northern (Spanish-Argentina), Beige (Swedish)
My proposals: Boreal Thrush
Sprague’s Pipit
Meaning of Latin name: Sprague’s Pipit
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Prairie (Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish)
My proposals: Prairie Pipit
Cassin’s Finch
Meaning of Latin name: Cassin’s Finch
Other historic names: Cassin Purple Finch, Cassin Pine Finch
Names in other languages: Rock (Icelandic), Red-crowned (Norwegian), Red-headed (Polish, Slovak), Mountain (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Pine Finch, Crimson-crowned Finch
Lawrence’s Goldfinch
Meaning of Latin name: Lawrence’s Goldfinch
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Masked (Dutch, German), Gray (French, Norwegian), Gorgeous (Polish), Oak (Slovak), Black-faced (Spanish-Mexico), California (Swedish)
My proposals: Fiddleneck Goldfinch, Golden-winged Goldfinch, Desert Goldfinch, Oasis Goldfinch
Smith’s Longspur
Meaning of Latin name: Painted Longspur
Other historic names: Painted Bunting
Names in other languages: Pied (Dutch), Golden-bellied (German), Frenzied (Icelandic), Tundra (Norwegian, Swedish), Fawn (Polish), Painted (Slovak)
My proposals: Painted Longspur
Botteri’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Botteri’s Sparrow
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Arizona, Texas, Mexican, Goldman’s, Petén, Van Tyne’s, Black-and-chestnut, Volcano
Names in other languages: Stripe-backed (German), Straw (Icelandic), Prairie (Polish), Stubble/Grass (Slovak),
My proposals: Monsoon Sparrow, Sacaton Sparrow
Cassin’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Cassin’s Sparrow
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Apache (Norwegian), Gray (Polish), Meadow (Slovak)
My proposals: Skylarking Sparrow, Nomadic Sparrow, Plains Sparrow
Bachman’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Summer Sparrow
Other historic names: Pinewoods Sparrow
Meaning of subspecies names: Bachman’s, Illinois
Names in other languages: Pine (Dutch, French, German), Palmetto (Norwegian), Sharp-tailed (Polish)
My proposals: Pinewoods Sparrow, Summer Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow maps so well onto traditional Shoshone lands that I looked up the word in Shoshone, which translates to “sage bird” or “sage sparrow”. This would be a great English name, though it would cause confusion with the other species formerly known by that name.
Brewer’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Brewer’s Sparrow
Other historic names: Pale Sparrow
Meaning of subspecies names: Taverner’s (aka Timberline)
Names in other languages: Pale (German), Shoshone (Norwegian), Bright-bellied (Polish), Sage (Shoshone)
My proposals: Dawn Sparrow, Trilling Sparrow, Shoshone Sparrow
Harris’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Mourning/Plaintive Sparrow
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Black-crowned (Dutch), Eskimo (Finnish), Black-faced (French, Polish, Slovak), Spruce (Norwegian), Canada (Swedish)
My proposals: Mourning Sparrow, Treeline Sparrow
Bell’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Bell’s Sparrow
Other historic names: Sage Sparrow when lumped with Sagebrush Sparrow
Meaning of subspecies names: Gray/Hoary, San Clemente Island, Ashy
Names in other languages: Sage (German), Chaparral (Norwegian), California (Spanish-Mexico)
My proposals: Chaparral Sparrow
LeConte’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: LeConte’s Sparrow
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Gray-eared (Norwegian), Striped Marsh (Polish), Meadow (Slovak)
My proposals: Meadow Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Nelson’s Sparrow
Other historic names: Sharp-tailed Sparrow (when lumped with Saltmarsh Sparrow)
Meaning of subspecies names: Other, Streak-bellied
Names in other languages: Needle-tailed (Norwegian), Marsh (Polish), Wetland (Slovak)
My proposals: Marsh Sparrow
Baird’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Baird’s Sparrow
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Dakota (Norwegian), Meadow (Polish), Solitary/Reclusive (Slovak), Prairie (Swedish)
My proposals: Prairie Sparrow, Buffalo Sparrow, Dakota Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Henslow’s Sparrow
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Whispering
Names in other languages: Red-winged Swamp (Polish), Weed (Slovak)
My proposals: Tallgrass Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Meaning of Latin name: Lincoln’s Sparrow
Other historic names: Forbush Sparrow
Meaning of subspecies names: Slender/Elegant, High-dweller/Mountain
Names in other languages: Streaked/Striped (Czech, Danish), Cane-browed (Haitian), Breast (Icelandic), Gray-browed (Norwegian), Gray-breasted Fawn (Polish), Migratory (Spanish-Venezuela)
My proposals: Fawn Sparrow, Bog Sparrow
The masked Abert’s Towhee is another Southwest mesquite specialist.
Abert’s Towhee
Meaning of Latin name: Abert’s Towhee
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Thicket, Vorhies’s
Names in other languages: Black-chinned (Dutch, German), Masked (Norwegian, Spanish-Mexico), Black-faced (Polish, Slovak), Arizona (Swedish)
My proposals: Mesquite Towhee, Bosque Towhee, Masked Towhee, Arizona Towhee
Bullock’s Oriole
Meaning of Latin name: Bullock’s Oriole
Other historic names: Northern (when lumped with Baltimore), Western Oriole
Meaning of subspecies names: Short
Names in other languages: Turnip (Icelandic), Golden-browed (Norwegian), Orange-browed (Spanish-Mexico), White-winged (Slovak)
My proposals: Western Oriole, Cottonwood Oriole
Audubon’s Oriole
Meaning of Latin name: Step-tailed Oriole
Other historic names: Black-headed Oriole
Meaning of subspecies names: Audubon’s, Nayarit, Dickey’s
Names in other languages: Black-headed (Dutch, German, Polish, Slovak), Citrine/Lemon (Norwegian), Black-hooded (Spanish-Mexico),
My proposals: Citrine Oriole
Scott’s Oriole
Meaning of Latin name: Paris’s Oriole
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Gold-green (French), California (German), Yucca (Norwegian), Prickly Pear (Spanish-Mexico), Black-headed (Slovak)
My proposals: Yucca Oriole
Brewer’s Blackbird
Meaning of Latin name: Blue/Purple-headed Blackbird
Other historic names: Satin Bird, Glossy Blackbird, Western Blackbird
Names in other languages: Field (Finnish), Purple (German, Polish, Slovak), Smooth/Satin (Icelandic), Purple-headed (Norwegian), Yellow-eyed (Spanish-Mexico), Prairie (Swedish)
My proposals: Purplish Blackbird, Purple-headed Blackbird, Satin Blackbird
Swainson’s Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Swainson’s Warbler
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Sharp-beaked (Haitian), Cane (Icelandic, Polish), Brown (Norwegian), Long-billed (Slovak), Brown-capped (Spanish-Mexico), Plain (Spanish-Venezuela)
My proposals: Cane Warbler, Palmetto Warbler, Bayou Warbler
Lucy’s Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Lucy’s Warbler
Other historic names: Mesquite Warbler, Desert Warbler
Names in other languages: Red/Rufous-rumped (German, Spanish-Mexico, Swedish), Plain (Icelandic), Mesquite (Norwegian), Rusty (Polish), Little (Slovak)
My proposals: Mesquite Warbler
Originally named Tolmie’s Warbler, and called that in some older bird books, it carries two honorifics, one in English and one in Latin. Others call it by its appearance or preference for riparian thickets.
Virginia’s Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Virginia’s Warbler
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Yellow-vented (German), Pine (Norwegian), Ravine (Slovak)
My proposals: Juniper Warbler, Great Basin Warbler
My proposals: Thicket Warbler, Riparian Warbler, Riverine Warbler, Brook Warbler
Kirtland’s Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Kirtland’s Warbler
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Michigan (German), Firefield (Norwegian), Spotted (Slovak)
My proposals: Jack Pine Warbler, Wildfire Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Dusky or Dark Warbler
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Hemlock (Czech, Norwegian), Fire (Danish, Spanish-Puerto Rico), Spruce (Dutch, German), Orange-throated (French, Spanish), Little Flamboyant (Haitian), Orange-crowned (Hungarian), Glossy/Glowing (Icelandic), Red-breasted (Lithuanian), Red Forest (Polish), Firecracker (Portuguese), Orange-streaked (Swedish)
My proposals: Flamboyant Warbler, Flame-faced Warbler
Grace’s Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Grace’s Warbler
Other historic names:
Meaning of subspecies names: Yaeger’s, Remote, Beautiful
Names in other languages: Arizona (German), Ponderosa (Norwegian), Yellow-throated (Polish), Yellow-breasted (Slovak), Yellow-browed (Spanish-Mexico), Gray-headed (Swedish)
My proposals: Yellow-fronted Warbler, Pine-oak Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Townsend’s Warbler
Other historic names:
Names in other languages: Tree (Icelandic), Spruce (Norwegian), Black Forest (Polish)
My proposals: Evergreen Warbler
Western field guides thru the 1950s called it the Pileolated Warbler. Its Latin name means Tiny Warbler. Wilson himself called it the Green Black-capped Flycatcher.
Wilson’s Warbler
Meaning of Latin name: Little or Tiny Warbler
Other historic names: Pileolated Warbler, Black-capped Yellow Warbler, Green Black-cap Warbler, Green Black-capped Flycatcher
Meaning of subspecies names: Pileolated, Golden
Names in other languages: Black-crowned (Swedish, Spanish-Mexico), Black-capped (Portugese)
My proposals: Brilliant Warbler, Golden-green Warbler
I’ve been asked quite a lot about my fountain and pond (in Davis, California) and why it is so successful in attracting birds. Here are some, I think, key elements:
The first is the sound of falling water. Birds hear this and come to investigate. The pond is rather simple. It all begins with an amoeba-shaped pre-fabbed pond liner, about 18″ deep. A small electric pump and hose carries the water about 3 feet up, where I feed the hose through a knot-hole in a piece of wood. From there, it falls into a plastic garbage can lid, and then pours thru a small cut into another garbage can lid, and finally into the pond itself. Each fall creates more trickling sound. I’ve put a flexible pond liner under the “waterfall” so that any water that wicks under the garbage can lids still ends up in the pond. The two lid pools are 1-2″ deep for bathing. Finally, all this stuff is covered up with rocks and driftwood.
Second, it’s all about context. The pond is essentially in a green grotto with lots of vertical structure above it, meaning that birds can come into a high tree, descend to a medium tree, and descend again to a shrub near the fountain, and then finally into one of the pools. They do serious recon about where they drink and bathe; an individual often takes several minutes to come in. I think the horizontal structure — what’s 15′ away from the pond, matters less than what’s above it; they come down from above.
At the same time, they need some visibility and escape corridors in case a cat or Cooper’s Hawk comes. I’ve trimmed all the bushes around it 18″ off the ground so any stalking cat will be clearly visible. A Cooper’s Hawk is largely thwarted by all the vegetation.
With all this cover, the pond is mostly in the shade. That’s good for controlling algae growth, but bad for taking photos. But in my experience a birdbath out in the open sun attracts only a few species. I have installed a couple iPhone holders so I can do some live video feeds (e.g. Facebook Live) of the birds coming in. I’ve also situated the pond so I get a clear view from my kitchen table, from right here as I type this on my laptop. My binoculars and camera are beside me in case anything interesting comes in.
UPDATE: I moved to Port Townsend, Washington, and quickly built another pond. It has been just as successful. Here’s a pic of it:
My pond in Port Townsend, Washington
For this one, I use a plastic rectangular cement batch mixing basin as the bottom receiving pool. I built this whole pond for less than $75. Here are the basic blueprints for my ponds:
I’ve recorded over 40 species using the pond in Davis. Here are some of them.
Wilson’s WarblersAudubon’s Yellow-rumped WarblersMyrtle Yellow-rumped WarblerNashville Warbler with a Western TanagerMacGillivray’s WarblerBlack-throated Gray WarblerYellow WarblerOrange-crowned WarblerTennessee Warbler– this bird appeared while I was working from home on a conference call. Needless to say, I managed a photo.Western TanagerBlack-headed Grosbeak with Wilson’s WarblerVaried ThrushAn unusual strawberry blond Purple Finch in front of a regular oneHooded OrioleA White-crowned Sparrow defends a bathing spot from a Western TanagerHermit Thrush, typically the last visitor of any winter eveningAmerican Robin and Cedar Waxwingintergrade Northern FlickerSpotted TowheeSlate-colored JuncoSooty Fox Sparrow in front of a Yellow-rumped WarblerOne more Western Tanager
Not shown: Anna’s Hummingbird, Wild Turkey, Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, California Scrub-Jay, Warbling Vireo, Cassin’s Vireo, Northern Mockingbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bushtit, Townsend’s Warbler, Hermit Warbler, House Finch, Cassin’s Finch, American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, California Towhee, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Song Sparrow, House Sparrow… and probably some others.
Of the top 20 birding sites in the entire United States, based on the number of species reported on eBird, six of them are in south Texas. Two of them, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, are threatened by Trump’s proposed wall.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
The map above, taken from an excellent article illustrating all of the natural resources at risk from California to Texas, includes the bird totals for the eBird hotspots associated with the at-risk parks and wildlife refuges. The wall is often constructed hundreds of yards north of the actual border (the Rio Grande River). It typically includes a swath of cleared land on each side of it. At Bentsen and Santa Ana, the wall threatens to destroy critical remaining habitat and strand the parks in “no-man’s land”, preventing public access. Dozens of articles have been written regarding the impacts to everything from butterflies to ocelots.
Sabal Palm is unique, in that the natural area is south of the wall. Visitors pass thru the wall in order to visit the park. However, there is no guarantee this arrangement will be made at other sites. Should public access be denied at Bentsen, the park could revert back to the Bentsen family per a historical agreement. The national wildlife refuges are especially at risk. As they are already federal properties, the Administration doesn’t have to deal with acquiring private property. Thus, they are the easiest places to build.
In 2010, after ten years of collecting data on morning “warbler walks” in my local patch, the Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin published my results. You can read the whole paper here:
Bay Area birders are surprised when I tell them Willow Flycatchers and MacGillivray’s Warblers (above) are daily in fall migration in Davis.
It begins with this:
“Although passerine migration may conjure images of Point Reyes for many local birders, the Central Valley, with its north-south orientation, is believed to be the primary migration corridor through California for most species, surpassing the coastline in this regard (Humple and Geupel 2002).”
Here, I’ve re-visualized my results for fall migration in two simple graphs, one for more common species (peaking at 2 to 13 birds per survey), and another for less common migrants (around 1 or less per survey).
CLICK TO ENLARGE.
A few caveats:
A “survey” here is basically a morning walk lasting about 35 minutes.
This was for my little route in north Davis. For other locations in the Central Valley, even nearby ones, I would expect the numbers and relative abundance to vary a little. For example, I see a lot more flycatchers at Babel Slough and Grasslands Park than are reflected here.
Putah Creek near Pedrick Rd, a current favorite of birders, generally has more birds than is shown here because it’s a larger area, birders spend more than 35 minutes when they visit, and the habitat is slightly different. It seems better at holding fall migrants for more days, making their detection more likely.
On these new graphs, I’ve left out the rarer birds, species that occur at a rate of less than 0.2 birds/survey (less than 1 out of every 5 surveys).
A large portion of the birds in my data are “heard only”.
For spring migration and additional details, see the full article linked above.
This last graph provides a cumulative view of all the migrants at once. Peak diversity is in late August. After that, the Yellow Warblers take over. After that, not shown here, the Yellow-rumped Warblers, both Audubon’s and Myrtle, arrive, signalling the end of fall migration.
It would be interesting to compare these relative abundances and timing with more recent eBird data, both in north Davis (where the eBird hotspot for this survey area is “North Davis Farms Subdivision”) as well as other locations in the Central Valley. Have at it. I’m happy to provide my Excel spreadsheets of this data to anyone interested.
In 2010, after ten years of collecting data on morning “warbler walks” in my local patch, the Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin published my results. You can read the whole paper here:
The Cottonwood Post 