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Glossary of bird names

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Top 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A[]

Accentor[]

A type of sparrowlike bird with a thin, finally pointed bill (=Prunellidae) [1].

Accipiter[]

(ak-SIP-ih-ter). Genus name given to a group of "short-winged hawks" in Europe in 1760 [2]. In North America, the group includes the goshawk, Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk, which are collectively known as the "accipiters" by ornithologists and bird-watchers [3].

Aigrette[]

The term aigrette (from the French for egret, or lesser white heron) refers to the tufted crest or head-plumes of the egret, used for adorning a woman's head-dress [4]. It is another name for an egret.

Albatross[]

A type of oceangoing seabird that glides for great distances on long, narrow wings and nests on islands [1].

Alcid[]

(AL-sid). Seabird of the auk family. Ornithologists usually refer to these birds collectively as alcids [3].

American Vulture family [3][]

Another name for the New World vultures.

American Wood Warbler family [3][]

Another name for the New World warblers.

Anatid[]

Term among ornithologists for a bird that belongs to the family Anatidae--ducks, geese and swans [3].

Anhinga[]

A name for the North American species of darter and alternatively used for the other species as well [1].

Ani[]

A type of large black, New World cuckoo (=Crotophagidae or Cuculidae).

Antbird[]

A type of rain forest passerine that feeds on insects and other invertebrates that have become easier to catch when they are fleeing from army ants (=Formicariidae) [1].

Apostlebird[]

See article.

Auk[]

A type of penguinlike seabird that is able to fly and typically hunts underwater, propelling itself with its wings instead of its feet (=Alcidae) [1].

Auklet[]

A type of small auk.

Avocet[]

A type of wading bird known for its long legs and bill [3] (=Recurvirostidae, in part).

B[]

Babbler[]

  1. A type of short-winged and strong-footed passerine of forest or scrub, often occurring in small, noisy groups (=Timaliidae) [1].
  2. Noisy, gregarious; mainly ground-feeding passerines with plump brownish bodies with longish tails, pointed, down-curved bills. They build many dome-shaped nests for communal roosting (=Pomatostomidae) [5].

Badger-bird[]

Another name for the Marbled Godwit [3].

Baldface[]

Another name for the American Coot [3].

Baldhead[]

A local name in Florida for the Sandhill Crane, in allusion to its partly unfeathered head [3].

Baldpate[]

Another name for the American Wigeon [3].

Baltimore-bird[]

Another name for the Baltimore Oriole [3].

Bananaquit[]

See article.

Bank-bird[]

Another name for the phalaropes [3].

Barn owl[]

  1. A type of long-legged owl in which its facial disks are heart-shaped (=Tytonidae) [1].
  2. The Barn Owl.

Barbet[]

[1].

Barren-ground bird[]

Another name for the Rock Ptarmigan [3].

Basket-bird[]

  1. Another name for the Orchard Oriole [3].
  2. Another name for the White-eyed Vireo [3].

Bay ducks[]

Another name for the diving ducks [3].

Baza[]

A type of hawk in the genus Aviceda (=Accipitridae, in part).

Beach bird[]

  1. Another name for the Piping Plover [3].
  2. Another name for the Semipalmated Plover [3].
  3. Another name for the Sanderling [3].

Becard[]

A type of passerine related to the cotingas, in the genus Pachyramphus (=Tityridae, in part).

Bee bird[]

  1. Another name for the Eastern Kingbird [3].
  2. Another name for the Summer Tanager [3].

Bee-eater[]

Bee martin[]

The Eastern Kingbird [3].

Beetle-head[]

The Black-bellied Plover [3].

Bellbird[]

A type of forest-dwelling passerine with bell-like calls:

  1. In Cotingidae
  2. In Meliphagidae [1],
  3. or the Wood Thrush in Turdidae [3].

Berrypecker[]

  1. See "painted berrypecker".
  2. Medium-sized birds which feed on fruit and some insects and other invertebrates. They have drab coloured plumage in greys, browns or black and white. The berrypeckers resemble stout short-billed honeyeaters, and the longbills are like drab sunbirds. There are 10 species, all of which are restricted to New Guinea (=Melanocharitidae) [6].

Berrypicker[]

See article.

Big Cranky[]

Another name for the Great Blue Heron [3].

Big Indigo[]

Another name for the Blue Grosbeak [3].

Bill-willie[]

Another name for the Willet [3].

Bird-of-paradise[]

[1].

Bird of prey[]

A name applied to any of the carnivorous (meat-eating) birds, such as hawks, eagles, falcon and owls [3].

Bird of Satan[]

A United States folklore name for the Blue Jay [3].

Bishop[]

Bittern[]

A type of heron (=Ardeidae, in part) [3].

Blackbird[]

A type of medium-sized passerines that are usually all-black [1]:

  1. A European thrush, Turdus merula (in Turdidae)
  2. A type of icterid (in Icteridae)

Black-breast[]

  1. The American Golden Plover [3].
  2. The Black-bellied Plover [3].

Black hag, black hagdon[]

The Sooty Shearwater [3].

Black-head[]

  1. The Ring-necked Duck [3].
  2. The Greater Scaup [3].
  3. The Lesser Scaup [3].
  4. The Black-headed Grosbeak [3].

Blackie[]

The American Black Duck [3].

Blackjack[]

  1. The American Black Duck [3].
  2. The Lesser Scaup [3].
  3. The Ring-necked Duck [3].

Blackpoll[]

The Blackpoll Warbler [3].

Black-tail[]

The Hudsonian Godwit [3].

Black warrior[]

The Harlan's Hawk [3].

Black witch[]

The Anis [3].

Bleater[]

The Common Snipe (Wilson's Snipe?) [3].

Bluebill[]

  1. The Ring-necked Duck [3].
  2. The Greater Scaup [3].
  3. The Lesser Scaup [3].

Bluebird[]

A type of thrush (=Turdidae, in part).

Blue darter[]

The Accipiters [3].

Blue Jay[]

A species of corvid (in Corvidae).

Blue meteor[]

Another name for the Passenger Pigeon [3].

Blue Peter[]

  1. A common name for the American Coot, a bird that runs on the surface of the water before it takes off [3].
  2. Another name for the Common Gallinule [3].
  3. Another name for the Purple Gallinule [3].

"Peter" for a bird that can apparently walk on water (esp. when walking on floating plants they appear to be walking on water), an allusion to St. Peter [3] (possibly another name for the storm-petrels [3].

Blue pop[]

Another name for the Blue Grosbeak [3].

Blue rock[]

Shortened name, especially in the UK, for "blue rock pigeon", the rock dove; another name in the US for the Red-billed Pigeon [3].

Blueshanks[]

An American Avocet [3].

Bluestocking[]

An American Avocet [3].

Bluethroat[]

A type of Old World flycatcher [3].

Blue-wing[]

A Blue-winged Teal [3].

Boatswain[]

A Parasitic Skua [3].

Bowerbird[]

[1].

Broadbill[]

[1].

Bulbul[]

[1].

Bunting[]

[1].

Bustard[]

[1].

Bustard[]

[1].

Buttonquail[]

[1].

Buzzard[]

[1].

C[]

Caracara[]

[1].

Cardinal[]

[1].

Catbird[]

[1].

Chanting-goshawk[]

[1].

Chat[]

[1].

Chickadee[]

[1].

Cockatoo[]

[1].

Condor[]

[1].

Conure[]

[1].

Cormorant[]

[1].

Cotinga[]

[1].

Coucal[]

[1].

Courser[]

[1].

Crake[]

[1].

Crane[]

[1].

Creeper[]

[1].

Crow[]

[1].

Cuckoo[]

[1].

Curassow[]

[1].

Currawong[]

[1].

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P[]

Painted berrypecker[]

A bird family that is a very small, restricted to the mountain forests of New Guinea. The two species are colourful medium-sized birds which feed on fruit and some insects (=Paramythiidae) [6].

Pewee[]

A type of tyrant flycatcher in the genus Contopus (=Tyrannidae, in part).

Phoebe[]

A type of tyrant flycatcher in the genus Sayornis (=Tyrannidae, in part).

Q[]

R[]

S[]

T[]

U[]

V[]

W[]

Wader[]

  1. A British for for a shorebird [3].
  2. A North American term for a large, long-legged wading bird such as a stork, heron or spoonbill [1].

Wagtail[]

  1. A type of slender, ground-dwelling passerine with a long tail that is flexed up and down when the bird is active (=Motacillidae) [1].
  2. A Willy Wagtail from Australia (=Rhipiduridae) [5]
  3. A Wagtail-tyrant (=Tyrannidae) [3].

X[]

Y[]

Yellowbird[]

  1. Another name for the American Goldfinch [3].
  2. Another name for the Yellow Warbler [3].

Yellowhammer[]

  1. Another name for the Northern Flicker's yellow-shafted subspecies [3].
  2. A species of bunting (=Emberizidae) [7]

Yellowlegs[]

A type of sandpiper (=Scolopacidae, in part) [3].

Yellow-nose[]

A Black Scoter [3].

Yellowshanks[]

Another name for the yellowlegs [3].

Yellowthroat[]

A type New World warbler [3].

Yelper[]

Another name for the American avocet and greater yellowlegs, and the cackling goose [3].

Z[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj Harrison, Colin and Greensmith, Alan (1993). Birds of the World. Dorling Kindersley Inc. ISBN 1564582965. 
  2. ^ Newton, A. 1893-96. A dictionary of birds. London: Adam and Charles Black, Ltd.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu Terres, John K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0394466519. 
  4. ^ Aigrette. (2011, August 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:07, August 5, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aigrette&oldid=442435362
  5. ^ a b Simpson & Day (1999). A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 6th Edition. Penguin. ISBN 0-691-04995-5. 
  6. ^ a b List of birds of Papua New Guinea. (2011, August 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:22, August 5, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_birds_of_Papua_New_Guinea&oldid=442784868
  7. ^ Mullarney, Killian; Lars Svensson, Dan Zetterström and Peter J. Grant (1999). Birds of Europe. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691050538.  Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthor= (help)
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