The Scientific Nomenclature of Birds in the Upper Midwest

The Birds

TheBirds A ACANTHIS: A latinized form of Greek akanthis, Aristotle’s word for “a kind of finch.” Finch family. flammea: A Latin word for “flame-­colored” that refers to the reddish tint on the forehead and breast, which may vary with age and season from pink to bright red. common name: Common Redpoll, a bird that can be seen regularly within its northern range other names: little redpoll, mealy redpoll hornemanni: The latinized form of “Hornemann’s.” This species was named for Jens Wilken Hornemann (1770–1841), a Danish botanist and author of Flora Danica, by his friend Carl Peter Holböll (1795–1856), a Danish explorer and administrator of Greenland, where the type specimen was collected. common name: Hoary Redpoll for the pale gray to white undertail coverts and rump; a “frosty” A. flammea other names: arctic redpoll, Greenland redpoll, Horne­ mann’s redpoll ACCIPITER: This Latin word for “hawk” is derived from accipere=to take possession of, to grasp. The similar Greek word okypteros (from ōkys=swift+pteron=wing), i.e., “swift wing,” 10 ACCIPITER | ACTITIS is the general term for a bird of prey. Thus, “capturer” is an apt translation for this bird, which takes and kills prey with its talons . The more poetic translation “swift wing” would account for speed in the pursuit and quick disposal of prey. Hawk family. cooperii: A latinized form of “Cooper’s.” This species was named for William Cooper (1798–1864), an American zoologist , bird collector, and a friend of Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte (1803–1857), who described and named this species. common name: Cooper’s Hawk other names: striker, big blue darter, quail hawk gentilis: Latin for “belonging to the same family or clan [gens].” By the mid-­fourteenth century, the word had come to mean “of noble rank, superior, distinguished.” Here, “noble” is an allusion to the size, appearance, flight, and courage of this audacious raptor, which was one of the birds so classified by medieval falconers. common name: Northern Goshawk for its general range in the United States and Canada; gos=goose, the reputed prey other names: goose hawk, blue hen-­hawk, blue darter, partridge hawk striatus: Postclassical Latin for “streaked, lined” from stria= a furrow, line. “Streaked” refers to the vertical streaks of the underparts and the barred tail. common name: Sharp-­shinned Hawk for the thin tarsus exposed below the short feathers on the upper leg other names: little blue darter, bullet hawk, sharpie ACTITIS: The Greek word aktitēs=dweller on the coast (aktē). “Shore habitué” describes the habitat. Sandpiper family. ACTITIS | AEGOLIUS 11 macularius: A postclassical Latin adjective from macula=spot, blot. “Marked with spots, speckled” refers to the small dark dotting on the white underparts. common name: Spotted Sandpiper other names: teeter-­tail, tip-­up, sand lark AECHMOPHORUS: From Greek aichmophoros=carrying a spear (aichmē). “Spear bearer” alludes to the long, sharp shape of the bill. Grebe family. clarkii: A latinized word for “Clark’s.” John Henry Clark (ca. 1830–ca. 1885) was a member of the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey (1851–1855) and other expeditions during which he collected many specimens for the Smithsonian Institution. common name: Clark’s Grebe other names: None found occidentalis: The Latin word for “westerly, western” denotes the general range of this bird in the United States and Canada. common name: Western Grebe other names: swan-­necked grebe, western dabchick AEGOLIUS: Greek aigōlios=a small owl (Aristotle); Latin aegolios=a kind of screech owl (Pliny). In Greek myth, Aigolios was one of Zeus’s nurses, who was transformed into a “bird of omen”— ­perhaps an owl? Owl family. acadicus: A latinized form of “Acadian” designates the region of the type specimen taken in Acadia, i.e., Nova Scotia. common name: Northern Saw-­whet Owl for the breeding range and for the call during breeding season, which, it is said, resembles the sound of a saw being sharpened 12 AEGOLIUS | AIX other names: saw-­ filer, whetsaw, white-­ fronted owl funereus: The Latin word for “of a funeral, funereal” captures the call, a regular, mournful sound like that of a death knell. common name: Boreal Owl for its range in northern forests other names: arctic saw-­whet owl, tooting owl, little owl AERONAUTES: From Greek aēr, aeros (genitive)=air, atmosphere+nautēs=seaman, sailor. “Sailor of the air” alludes to this bird’s exceptional flying skills. Birds of this genus, possibly the fastest of North American birds, fly higher and faster and glide longer...