I dislike bird names that are "adjective family", especially when the
adjective is not very descriptive (a la Ring-necked Duck); so Long-tailed
Duck is just despressing (yea, they've got long tails, but so do some
other ducks). Even "Pinto Duck" would be better. Guess I just have a
nostalgic yearning for colorful one-word names. That said, I'll go with
Callithumpian Duck, though on my own I will still call them "owl-omelets",
for the sound that they make.

And as for the immediate issue of "oldsquaw", I respect some of the classy
posts people have written re oldsquaw being offensive; but I still chafe
at being told to change the name of one of my favorite animal species.
Besides, it's such a beautiful bird, so it almost seems like a tribute.
How about "Kathleen's Duck". Oh well, never mind. (and I do understand
that the logic behind the original name was old squaw = garrulousness,
which isn't necessarily complimentary, but neither is it particularly
horrible) Does this sort of evolution toward offensiveness inevitably
occur with EVERY word that starts out as a simple classificatory word for
a downtrodden group of people? (e.g. "moron" and "idiot" became
derogatory, then the replacement "retarded" became derogatory, and now
even the gentle replacement "special" has become derogatory).

Also, please remember to trim your posts, everyone. There was one poster
in particular who basically said "I liked that post" and then proceeded to
quote the original 20-line post in its entirety, followed by a 33-line
response, also in its entirety. Please.


Kathleen