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From: burhans@mizar.usc.edu (Mustang Sally)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Trendy species nicnames
Message-ID: <31994@usc>
Date: 16 Apr 91 22:08:00 GMT
References: <1991Apr15.004109.8828@crl.dec.com> <1991Apr16.204747.22862@milton.u.washington.edu>
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In article <1991Apr16.204747.22862@milton.u.washington.edu> jespah@milton.u.washington.edu (Kathleen Hunt) writes:

>Let's see, I've heard "mocker" for the Northern Mockingbird and "bend over"
>for Bendire's Thrasher.  My favorite is "butterbutt" for the Yellow-rumped
>Warbler.  

I've also heard them called yellow-butts

>I also like the "violent green swallow"  (Violet-Green Swallow).
I like this a lot!

>A couple ornithologists I know use "trash bird" for those sticks and bags
>and bits of plastic that look like a bird until you get them in your binocs.

I've also heard terminator bird (I think) for when you are watching the
phone poles along the highway and think you see one and its a terminator
or was that transistor--something like that. Then there are the plane
birds that always excite me--especially the Common Cherokee Piper birds.

I use Wooder for Woodpeckers or pecker for that matter. Or Mr. Wood.
I don't know if it counts but a friend calls Rock Doves, Rat Birds.
No respect at all!

Ok, its not a nickname but anytime I see a bird that has a name of the
form American xxx, e.g. American Wigeon, I break out into a rendition of
the Tom Petty (I think) song: She's an American girl! only substituting
the bird name. Some people think I'm nuts. However these people are married
to me so their opinion hardly counts.



-- 
Jackie Burhans (burhans@usc.edu)          
Data Stylist, USC Student Affairs