The range of answers is not surprising. Another interesting thing though
was the transition from the 1978 Recommended name of Australian
Magpie-lark to the 1994 Recommended name of Magpie-lark. That because
there was nothing elsewhere in the world called Magpie-lark, so
including the word Australian was not necessary. Who wants overly long
names for common birds? One could just wonder why the word Australian
was used in 1978 (or earlier). It implies a bit of lose thinking of an
unnecessary connection or comparison to the name Australian Magpie that
was used to differentiate our magpie from the various species of magpies
(related to crows) of the northern hemisphere.
Philip
>> Someone asked me about the term "mudlark" today for Grallina
>> cyanoleuca - and I confessed I wasn't sure how common it actually
>> was, apart from reading that it was more a Victorian and/or WA term.
>> I recall the books having "Peewit" or "Magpie-lark" as the first or
>> second names. I generally called
>> it a "Peewee" as a child, and my mum still does, though sometimes use
>> "Magpie-lark". I have never heard anyone call it a "Peewit" but I
don't
>> mix
>> too much with birdwatchers in real life.
>>
>> The wonders of email and discussion groups like this one is we can do
>> an instant census (has it ever been done on this species I wonder) as
>> to what everyone calls it by default, and where in Australia they
>> are. I am in Sydney. So what does everyone else call it (and if you
>> answer can you also
>> say what part of Australia you're in? Doesn't have to be suburb,
maybe
>> city
>> and "North, South East or West" is fine. I'll tally up the responses
at
>> the
>> end.
>> Cheers
>> Cas
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