Birds: What's in a Name

This entertaining and informative guide explains the meanings of bird
names, many of which have fascinating origins and stories behind them.


The universal system of 'scientific' names, based largely on Greek and
Latin, is used in all good bird books and assists birdwatchers around
the world in figuring out exactly what they are looking at. While some
of the names are fairly self-explanatory - such as Troglodytes for wren,
meaning 'cave-dweller' - others are more mysterious - Caprimulgus for
nightjar, for example, meaning 'goat-sucker'.


Covering hundreds of bird species from around the world, Birds: What's
In A Name? includes explanations of hundreds of scientific names and
common names, as well as delivering a wealth of other facts and trivia
relating to the species concerned. In short, it's the most readable and
entertaining book on the subject available anywhere.


Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard) 'The duck with the flat beak'. Ixobrychus
minutus (Little Bittern) 'Small reed bellower'. Strigops habroptilus
(Kakapo) A bird that 'looks like an owl, with soft feathers'.
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus (Satin Bowerbird) 'Violet bird with a
feathered bill'. Tachybaptus ruficollis (Little Grebe) Literally
translated, this is the 'red-collared fast-sinker'.