Luke, you probably realize this, but others may not. The Audubon
Encyclopedia of Birds, edited by Roger Tory Peterson, has a plethora of
these common names listed for each species. I don't think that there was
any information on derivation of the names, but many of them were quite
colorful!

Rick H. Hudson
Seattle, WA

On Wed, 30 Oct 1996, Luke Cole wrote:

> 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!
>
>