Greetings Tweeters:

I am compiling a dictionary of North American colloquial and slang bird
names, as well as birding slang. I am seeking your help in identifying
regional names for birds from your area, as well as any birding slang you
use or have heard.

Any and all submissions are most welcome. The most useful would be
accompanied by the following information:

1. Colloquial, slang or regional bird names: (e.g. "high-holer" for
flicker, "butterbutt" for yellow-rumped warbler, "monkey-faced owl" for barn
owl, etc.)

a. where is this name used, and by whom? (e.g., "throughout MN by
farmers," or "among our small circle of birders in San Francisco")

b. when was/is this name used? (e.g. "started in about 1990," or
"when my grandfather was alive in the 1950s")

c. what is the derivation of the name, if known? (e.g. "from the
bird's behavior," or "my uncle Bert")

2. Birding slang: (e.g. twitching, listing, bins, wipe out)
a. where is the slang term used, and by whom?
b. who coined it, if you know?


Finally, if you know of any old bird books that give the colloquial names
for birds, please let me know of them as I can often track them down through
the library and collect significant numbers of names that way. This is
particularly helpful in finding local bird names from different regions, so
if there are early books or monographs on your region that contain local
names as well as the common and scientific names, I'd love to know about them.

I have been at this project for more than five years, and have collected
over 5,000 colloquial and slang names for birds -- and I know there are
thousands more out there. Please help out -- full credit will be given for
each submission when I finally publish this behemoth.

You can e-mail me your submissions at crpe at igc.apc.org, or send them to me at

Luke Cole
561 Hill Street
San Francisco, CA 94114

Thanks!