On the thread abut colloquial bird names: There is a
great resource for older common bird names published
by the USDI, Fish and Wildlife Service, called "Obsolete
English Names of North American Birds and Their
Modern Equivalents" (Resource Publication 174) by
Richard Banks (1988). It is a fine listing of names to get
confused by. (I don't know if its still in print).

One point you learn from exercising your brain with this
is that many of the "colloquial" names were once
accepted English names for what were considered
subspecies. E.G: Sacramento, San Diego, San
Joaquin, Santa Cruz, and Seattle wrens are all Bewick's
wrens today. We tend to stick to the present AOU
Checklist, but for several editions even it listed
numerous names for birds that are now "lumped"
together under much simpler, and more boring, labels.

Some of the best, of course, are given to birds that
have a a standout quality -- who could question that
bog-pumper, dunk-a-doo, and stake-driver are all
American bitterns? I also like blue crane (great blue
heron), yellowhammer (northern flicker) and fly-up-the-
creek (green heron). Interesting (also) is that long-tailed
duck was an obsolete name for the oldsquaw. I won't go
in to some of the names for cormorants.

I have been saving up to write a trip report, using only
the hated four letter codes, with all the codes based on
out of date common names. Anarchy in
communication.

Jerry Broadus, PLS
Geometrix Surveying, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Puyallup, WA. 98371