birding-aus

trying correct common names

To: "Cas and LISA Liber (& family)" <>, "Birding Aus" <>
Subject: trying correct common names
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 16:00:31 +1000
Cas,
 
That is a good question. They should do so. I had correspondence with an American birdo about six months ago, on this very subject. This person explained to me that the difference is that whilst the early settlers to Australia tried to give the new animals even if they were not remotely related, names as close as possible to those back home in England, in contrast, the early settlers to America tried to give the new animals names as far as possible from those back home in England. So we have two opposite sets of biases, that both produce some odd problems. It is hardly surprising when you look at American spelling, as in the can't spell "cheque", can't say "aluminium" put dates back to front, etc. Therefore Americans call Buteo Buzzards "hawks" (which is sort of correct in that buzzards are a sub set of hawks) but they call vultures "buzzards" which is really weird, even though the new world vultures are quite likely not at all close to old world vultures and maybe should not be in the order Falconiformes at all.
 
Is 'Red-Tails In Love' a good book? I have often seen that book in book shops and wonder why do we get that book in Australia. Seems very obscure to me.
 
Philip
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