hi tweets

i couldn't resist sending this on to the masses, i think some are
quite creative. maybe it will relieve a little tern stress...

good birding
marissa j benavente
junebug at pol.net
seattle


<< THE CHALLENGE

by WARREN CLEMENTS

Saturday, April 15, 2000

The challenge was to alter the name of a bird and suggest a
corresponding
change in habitat, diet, song or behavior. The response was
overwhelming,
and more will appear later.

The winner is Linda Robb of Toronto:
Cedar Faxwing: a highly evolved bird that employs telecommunications
instead of bird song.

Redheaded Hoodpecker: a hot-tempered bird known to attack automobiles
parked too close to its habitat.

Other diverted flights:

Stuffed Grouse: elusive oven-ready game bird. (Robin Lovell, Toronto)

Pleated Woodpecker: a bird with uniquely folded feathers. (Anne Roney,
London, Ont.)

Vowl: a night hunter identified by its call of "AEIOU."

Purple Martian: bird with the longest migration route. (Al Wilkinson,
Barrie)

Northern Shriek: greets the northern dawn with a frenzied, but
meaningless,
cry of alarm. (B. W. Jackson, Hamilton)

Evening Grosspeak: noctural bird indigenous to city parks. Song is a
series
of loud, strident noises accompanied by rude language.

Chickapea: a small European migrant; feeds mainly on garbanzo beans.
(Sandra L. Jones, Vancouver, and Cathy Furgiuele, Toronto)

The Purple Flinch: a nervous and twitchy bird, easily startled.

The Black-Capped Chiclet: a small bird known for lengthy mastication
of
its
food. (Christine Dugdale, Lachine, Que.)

Hooded Mergangster: a duck that terrorizes other birds and steals
their
eggs.

Glossy Ibid: a long-legged wader, always seen in the same place.

Red-tailed Gawk: a large bird that sits in a tree and stares at the
landscape. (Geoffrey Pierpoint, King City, Ont.)

Baltimore Oreo: eats the middle of his food first. (Linda Lumsden,
Peterborough, Ont.)

Power Moa: a noisy bird that feeds on suburban lawns.

Storm Petrol: an oilbird (genus Hydrocarbonae) indigenous to Exxon
Provence. (Chris Doyle, Burke, Va.)

Either/or-iole: indecisive bird, afraid to take existential leap.

Toucam: has miniature camera in its bill for live Web casts. (Paul
Kocak,
Syracuse, N.Y.)

Thumbingbird: has learned to alleviate the stress of lengthy
migrations
by
hitchhiking. (C. H. Vane-Hunt, Salt Spring Island, B.C.)

Long-Billed Curfew: a quiet bird, rarely seen after nightfall. (Jay
Booker,
Vancouver)

The Ring-Necked Pleasant: much nicer than others of its species. (S.
J.
Hollenberg, Vancouver)

Robin Redbreast-Implant: Silicone-enhanced songbird. (Peter Marucci,
Fergus, Ont.)

E-Gull: a bird prone to making foolish investments in Internet startup
companies. (Walter Sowa, Toronto)

Goldpinch: a nasty, nippy little bird. (Jane Greer, Toronto)

Hamming Pigeon: will imitate William Shatner for food. (G. Treflak,
Sudbury)

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html
>>




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