Big names for small creatures
Bird is the word: 10 American bird names explained
Image: Dulcey Lima
A world without birds would be a gloomy one, indeed. These feathered friends grace our skies and brighten our days with their songs, not to mention the important environmental roles they fulfill. The names we give them often showcase their characteristics or pay homage to the people who discovered them. Scroll on to learn about ten of the most common birds and their names. How many of these did you know?
1
Mourning Dove
Image: Anish Lakkapragada
The melancholic name of the mourning dove comes from its sad call , which the casual listener might mistake for an owl. Mourning Doves inhabit a wide range of open habitats, including suburbs and urban parks.
Their call is generally referred to as the "perch coo," a song sung by an unmated male from a perch. These birds have other well-known nicknames, such as "turtle doves" and "rain doves."
2
Northern Mockingbird
Image: Tyler Jamieson Moulton
More than just mockers, mockingbirds are expert singers, continuously adding new imitations of other birds' songs to their repertoires and sometimes mimicking unnatural sounds, such as car alarms. Northern mockingbirds may learn up to 200 different sounds.
These medium-sized, long-tailed gray songbirds prefer open habitats with a scattering of shrubs and small trees. They eat a wide variety of fruits, invertebrates, and even small vertebrates, such as lizards.
3
White-breasted Nuthatch
Image: Patrice Bouchard
You can recognize this bird by its white face and underside, bluish back and wings, dark crown, nasal "yank-yank" call, and its habit of creeping down tree trunks headfirst.
The name "nuthatch" is derived from "nut hacker," reflecting the bird's method of opening up nuts by jamming them into a crevice and then hammering at them.
4
Downy Woodpecker
Image: Joshua J. Cotten
The smallest woodpecker in North America, the Downy Woodpecker is a stubby-billed, black-and-white bird that inhabits deciduous woods and tree-filled urban and suburban parklands. It forages on trees, shrubs, and large weeds for insects and other arthropods.
The "downy" in this bird's common name refers to the soft, white feathers of its long, white back stripe . The "woodpecker" part refers to the fact that this bird pecks bark, looking for termites hidden underneath it.
5
House Finch
Image: Patrice Bouchard
Originally found only in the West, the House Finch was introduced to the eastern U.S. in 1939, when a few individuals were released from a pet store. The word "finch" comes from the German idiom fink , which refers to a lively or cheerful person —a description that certainly fits this active and gregarious songbird. The term "house" refers to the bird’s tendency to hang around human dwellings.
6
Song Sparrow
Image: Patrick Fobian
Song Sparrows, as their name suggests, sing a cheerful and recognizable song. Although these birds can be found in a wide range of habitats, their favorite spots are often close to streams and other sources of fresh water.
The English word "sparrow" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word spearwa . This term means "flutterer," an apt description for this active songbird.
7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Image: Joshua J. Cotten
The only hummingbird that regularly breeds in the eastern U.S. is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The male's metallic-looking red throat, or "gorget," explains the first part of the name. And the hummingbird part comes from the humming sound their wings make as they fly.
8
Blue Jay
Image: David Bridle
The "bullies" of the birdfeeder, Blue Jays' name comes from the bird's noisy, garrulous nature. This term has also been applied to other birds of the same family, which are generally gregarious as well.
Before approaching a feeder, Blue Jays often give harsh calls that sound like those of hawks, perhaps to scare off other birds that might compete for access to the bird seed.
9
Tufted Titmouse
Image: Paul Crook
These curiously named birds form longer-lasting family units than many other songbirds, with their younglings sometimes even hanging around for a second year to help raise younger siblings. The "titmouse" name has nothing to do with rodents, but instead comes from an Old English phrase meaning "small bird."
10
Spotted Towhee
Image: Anish Lakkapragada
Spotted Towhees are members of the sparrow family. These birds have dark heads and backs, white spots on their wings, rusty sides, and striking red eyes. Their song is a simple trill.
The name "towhee" is a simulation of the bird's call and it was coined in 1731 by the naturalist and bird artist, Mark Catesby.
