Ever since reading Burnum Burnum's Wild Things around Sydney, I've called
Pacific Black Ducks by the Aboriginal name Umbara. It musn't have been a
good seller cause everyone looks at me sideways when I do it.
Now how many of you blokes over 50 still call a Cormorant a Shag? ;)
Regards,
Mark and Mandy
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of brian fleming
Sent: Thursday, 19 November 2009 6:03 PM
To: Gary Wright;
Subject: Old bird names - Blue-jay (One arm point thread )
When I was a kid 'Blue Jay' could be a Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
- also called 'Summer Bird'.
I didn't know Choughs then - I think they were classed as 'Black Magpie'
along with Currawongs.
In Broken Hill I had to describe Apostle-birds to a local. She said "OH,
you mean Lousy Jacks!"
And there are respected ornithologists who don't even know the Grey
Fantail's REAL name - 'Cranky Fan'!
Anthea Fleming
Gary Wright wrote:
> 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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