Hi Tweets,

Chris Maack writes:
>Can one use the term indigenous for birds
>that breed in one region and winter in another?

Oh, boy, let slip the dogs of pedantry!

Of 'indigenous', the Oxford Concise definition says, some paraphrased:

indigenous [adj] (Esp. of flora and fauna) produced naturally in a region;
belonging naturally (to soil etc.; or fig[uratively]; from Latin 'indigena',
'inde-'--in, plus 'gen-' --born.

Strictly interpreted, it's a regionally rather than environmentally
descriptive term, applying to a resident's or migrant's geographic breeding
region (i.e.-- place of birth) only; 'Alaska-race Common Eiders are
indigenous to western Alaska.', and would not apply to any region in which
it did not breed. Much less successfully, one could apply it also to
breeding habitat-type, so: 'Common Eiders are indigenous to tundra.', though
'Common Eiders nest (typically) on tundra.' would be preferable.

M. Roget gives as synonyms: native; innate, inborn, inherent, natural (to).

Donald Borror's neat little book, Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining
Forms, has very interesting alternatives for the root word 'indigen':
Native; need, want. A possible connection was the Roman habit of thinking of
its subject peoples as being at a fundamentally structural disadvantage if
they lacked Roman manners and customs, technologies and culture: a native
would be, by Roman definition, born into a state of want (indigence) just by
being born non-Roman.

The Brothers Fowler (Modern English Usage) found no ground for comment on
this particular word, but offered so many interesting, if unconnected,
side-tracks that this post is going out at least an hour and a half later
than its beginning.

Michael Price We aren't flying...we're falling with style!
Vancouver BC Canada -Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story
mprice at mindlink.net