Hi Greg
Like Alastair I personally like all of the old names, like Blue Jay(white
winged chough), but I accept having standard English names so we don't have
to use scientific names is a good thing. I like the name Satin Stork as I
think it is beautiful and descriptive of the bird.
Gary
2009/11/19 Greg & Val Clancy <>
> Hi Gary,
>
> I read you post with interest and noted that you hate using the name
> 'Black-necked Stork'. The neck is actually black, with a blue-green sheen,
> and although probably not the most appropriate name for the species it has
> been in use in Asia and Australia since at least the late 1880's. The bird
> books that I used when starting out birding many years back all called it
> "Jabiru' and that is what I knew it as for many years. Having recently
> completed my PhD studies on the species I am now a strong advocate for not
> calling it "Jabiru'. The reasons for this are: it is not a Jabiru - a
> Jabiru is a South American stork species which has only a few similarities
> to our elegant bird; 'Jabiru' is a Tupi-Guarani name for the species which
> means 'swollen neck', referring to its habit of inflating its bald neck
> pouch, very different to our slender necked species; the south American bird
> has precedence over the name which is also its generic name.
>
> When I hear or read the name 'Back-necked Stork' I visualise the beautiful,
> elegant bird that it is I don't lament the loss of a totally inappropriate
> name for Australia's only stork species. However if 'Black-necked Stork' is
> too much to bear you will be happy to know that when the New Guinea and
> Australian populations of this species are separated out from the Asian
> populations, which is likely in the future, the name 'Satin Stork' will,
> hopefully, be applied to our birds. This name received support from the
> Birds Australia Common Names Committee but it will only be with widespread
> acceptance that it will become 'set in stone.' So far I have received a
> large amount of support for the name. I hope you will also support it.
>
>
> Greg Clancy
> Ecologist
> Coutts Crossing
> NSW
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