English bird name poll

[Con Boekel <>]

Martin

This is correct for Australian Indigenous names. There is a degree of commonality induced by onomatopoeia but, otherwise, from one language group to another, bird names can be chalk and cheese. There is another area of complexity: variations in the taxonomic bases for classification. And it is not just the tensions between the lumpers and splitters!

I was told that there were small variations between South Island Maori and North Island Maori when it comes to bird names. Fortunately, there is a Maori Language Orthodoxy Committee (title?) that provides a formal and legal venue for sorting this sort of thing out.

Moriori (Chatham Islands) was a separate NZ language. It is also quite likely that, given very large numbers of Pacific Island immigrants from some countries, some of these groups would have brought their bird names with them and it is also highly likely that these would not be same as the names in Maori - even if the languages had common Polynesian roots.

regards

Con

On 3/23/2018 2:37 PM, Martin Butterfield wrote:

WRT indigenous names, the question would arise of which indigenous names?  I am sure that for birds which are common to the various areas the indigenous people at Broome would have a different name to the people of Cairns to the people of Tasmania.  I suspect the Maori would all have used the same name.  

Martin

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

On 23 March 2018 at 12:53, Mark Clayton <> wrote:

Having seen quite a few of the Myzomela species in PNG (which is what they are called there) and elsewhere, I am quite happy to use Myzomela. I still use  "Spine-tailed Swifts" for White-throated Needletails and "Fork-tailed Swift" for the Pacific Swift when in the bush but in any written communication I will always use the latter in both cases. The same goes for the Common Myna  - it is not the Indian Myna as it is often wrongly called - unfortiunately CCMAG is not as easy or catchy to say as CIMAG which only perpetuates the wrong name. There are many other species where there are local names, for example who really knows what a "Green Leek" is. I have seen this used for Superb Parrot, Red-rumped Parrot, various "green" lorikeets and even Budgerigars and the White-plumed Honeyeaters!! To be quite honest I would prefer Origma over Rockwarbler and Thick-kee for the stone-curleews, Better still, the South African name for the species there is Dikkop which sounds fantastic.

What people will call things is defined by what field guides and or bird lists that they use which is where they generally learn species names. I use the IOC list which can at least spell "grey". I will use this list over Birdlife Australia's list and that of Clements. David's suggestion that, like New Zealand where they are starting to use Maori names for birds, I have seen a book done many years ago published by CSIRO (Wildlife) using Aboriginal names for some Australian bird and mammal species, you would not be able to spell, let alone remember those names!.

Ultimately the best thing to do is use the birds scientific name but most people wouldn't like that, but at least you do know EXACTLY what species is being discussed! Anyone seen an Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus locally recently?

To answer Geoffrey's question, I don't think I have ever reported either a Scarlet Myzomela or Honeyeater on any official list.

That's my 2 bob's worth ..... err sorry, 20 cents worth.

Mark

On 23/03/2018 9:50 AM, Geoffrey Dabb wrote:

The English Names Committee is about to consider the ‘Myzomela issue’.

 

The question to members of this chatline is:  do you prefer ‘Scarlet Honeyeater’ or ‘Scarlet Myzomela’ ?

 

The background is as follows.  ‘Myzomela’ is the name of a genus of small honeyeaters. There are more than 30 species, most outside Australia.  ‘Scarlet Honeyeater’ has been used in Australia, but ‘Scarlet Myzomela’ is used in global lists.  The main reason for choosing ‘Myzomela’ is the need for consistency across all members of the genus.

 

In eBird, under the option ‘English (Australia)’, both ‘Scarlet Honeyeater’ and ‘Scarlet Myzomela’ will work (at present). You will get similar results for the other 2  Australian myzomelas.   However if you want to bring up, for example, the Red Myzomela (a New Guinea species) you must use that name and not ‘Red Honeyeater’.

 

This is a serious attempt to sample birdwatcher opinion through this chatline.  You may reply either to the chatline or to me directly.  A minimum response will be in the form –

 

‘Honeyeater’

 

or

 

‘Myzomela’.

 

However, if you respond, I would also like to know whether you have ever reported an observation of a Myzomela species under any name and  through any form of reporting.

 

At this stage, I shall not discuss the pronunciation of ‘myzomela’.

 

gd    

 

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