birding-aus

Re: birding-aus Common Myna thanks

To: Anne & Roger Green <>, Birding-aus <>
Subject: Re: birding-aus Common Myna thanks
From: Jill Dening <>
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1999 08:19:27 +1000
>Hi all.
>Confusion is likely to exist with many people as long as "Common Myna"
>*sounds*, to Jo Blow, like "common miner". The latter, in this and many
>other parts of Australia, equates to the indigenous Noisy Miner which
>many bird lovers regard as a pest in itself. I'm afraid there's a real
>danger that such people may declare an unofficial "open season" on Noisy
>Miners if they think they are a *declared* pest species.
>Regards,
>Anne


Anne,

A very quick reply..

Glad you raised this, because it has really been troubling me. I wrote an
email in the same vein to a fellow birding-ausser yesterday. The Common
Myna (known widely as the Indian Myna) has been named (renamed) for obvious
reasons, but in this country it raises real confusion. I have successfully
trained myself to call it the Common Myna, but am far from happy about the
term, because I usually have to explain what bird I am talking about, and
that should not have to be the case.

My husband has suggested that I abandon the term Common Myna, and revert to
Indian Myna, for the sake of general understanding. He said, "A name should
identify a creature, not cause confusion."

Jill

Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Qld

26º 51' 65"     152º 56' 16"


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