by Kevin Burton
I recall in certain mornings at the Ohio State School for the Blind, listening to birds singing, in the moments before I had to get up and get the day started.
I would think that if I could endure a few easy classes, I would then have the rest of the day in blessed freedom, playing baseball or whatever else came up.
Happy thoughts with a sweet serenade from the songbirds.
I still like to hear the birds, but do my best to have no further interaction with birds. May God richly bless them in whatever they are doing, in a world at some distant remove, please please, from me.
I am happy though to post today, a Merriam-Webster dictionary list of bird with quite pleasant-sounding names. The dictionary says the names sound like compliments, and I guess most of them do. Here’s the list:
1-Godwit
Definition: any of a genus (Limosa) of shorebirds that are related to the curlews and sandpipers and have a long slender slightly upturned or straight bill
Godwit isn’t necessarily a combination of the words god and wit; etymologists aren’t sure where it comes from. It’s probably more likely that the word is imitative of a sound made by one or more species of the shorebird. Don’t let that stop you from ascribing it with fondness to your favorite Poindexter, however.
2-Bonebreaker
Definition: any of several large birds (such as the giant petrel, the lammergeier, or the osprey)
Along the same lines as bruiser, bonebreaker as could make a good compliment for someone, an athlete perhaps, who appears impressively formidable. The birds who have been dubbed bonebreaker over the centuries are certainly impressive. The lammergeier in particular has so fascinated English speakers for its food foraging strategy that it has also earned the moniker ossifrage, which traces back to the Latin words for “bone” and “break.”
3-Tydie
Definition: a small bird variously identified as a wren or the blue titmouse
It’s not clear what bird English poet Michael Drayton was referring to when he wrote in his poem “Poly-Olbion” of a delicately singing “Tydie.” It may have been what is today known as the Eurasian wren, but could also have been the Eurasian blue tit (the similar word tidife or tydif is also thought to refer to the latter). Although its first syllable likely rhymes with bid as opposed to bide, we recommend employing the long i if you use it to refer to a compatriot who is neat and meticulous, as it seems one should be able to.
4-Diamond dove
Definition: a small Australian dove often kept as a cage or aviary bird that is largely gray and brown with the wings dotted with white
Not to be confused with “Diamond Dave,” Diamond dove is a lovely sobriquet for a small Australian dove and a potential term of endearment for your bae.
5-Good God
Definition: a large red-crested North American woodpecker that is black with white on the face, neck, and undersides of the wings
Was the pileated woodpecker James Brown’s favorite bird? It’s certainly possible—Georgia, where the legendary singer grew up, is entirely within the woodpecker’s range.
But whether or not the bird’s lesser-known nickname good God inspired Brown’s famous musical exclamation, we wouldn’t be surprised if he—or anyone—said as much upon seeing the striking pileated coursing through the woods. Not to be outdone, the (sadly extinct) ivory-billed woodpecker earned the nickname lord god bird.
6-Demoiselle
Definition: an American heron that is slaty above and white beneath
Demoiselle is a word borrowed from French in the early 16th century meaning “a young lady” (the English word damsel is a relation). It’s a pretty word that has been used over the centuries to refer to various animals that have also been deemed pretty, from the damselfish to the damselfly to what is now more commonly known as the tricolored heron (formerly the Louisiana heron).
7-Dovekie
Definition: a small short-billed auk breeding on arctic coasts and ranging south in winter
Dovekie comes from Scots, the English language of Scotland, where it originally referred to a species of guillemot, but now commonly is applied to the little auk of our definition as well.
Dovekie combines two diminutive suffixes, -ock and -ie, with dove (possibly due to the dove-like bond between nesting pairs of guillemots). So it’s extra-cute and doubly worthy of your sweetie.
8-Merrywing
Definition: a large-headed swift-flying Holarctic diving duck with the male having a green head and striking black-and-white markings
The goldeneye already has a cool name, but it has also been blessed with merrywing. The poor bufflehead has a name that basically means “blockhead” or “fool,” so we are pleased as punch to share that it has also historically been called merrywing, which should help its esteem. If your squad includes someone who is always cheerful, we think calling them “merrywing” would be just ducky.
9-Stellar jay
Definition: a jay of western North America with a high crest and black and dark blue plumage
The usual name for the bird in question is Steller’s jay, after 18th century German naturalist George W. Steller. If you want to compliment someone by calling them Steller’s jay, be our guest, you do you. However, enough people over the years have altered Steller’s jay to stellar jay that the latter is entered in our unabridged dictionary, and makes a lot more sense as an honorific, especially if you happen to know someone named Jay.
10-Elegant trogon
Definition: a colorful, long-tailed, yellow-billed, tropical bird of Mexico and Central America with a red belly and white band across the breast and with the back, chest, and head bright green in the male and brown in the female
Trogon comes ultimately from the Greek verb trōgein, meaning “to gnaw.” At this time, there are 35 species of trogons that, along with quetzals, make up the taxonomic family Trogonidae.
Trogons occur from the extreme southwestern United States all the way to Argentina, throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and from India to the Philippines. The English names of all of these birds consists of trogon modified by some descriptor, and elegant trogon, though not the most objective, is among the most complimentary. At least, should you call your bestie an elegant trogon whilst they are modeling their latest outfit, we hope they would not mind.
11-Magnificent bird of paradise
Definition: a showy bird of paradise of northern Australia and New Guinea with the male having a golden yellow nape, a blood red patch on the back, and shining blackish green on the breast
Bird of paradise has been used in English for almost 500 years to refer to any of numerous brilliantly colored plumed birds (family Paradisaeidae) chiefly of New Guinea and neighboring islands. Sure beats stinkbird!
Not all bird-of-paradise species have especially flattering English names (we’re looking at you, sicklebill), but the magnificent bird of paradise sure does. And if you see its picture (or search out a video clip of its fancy dance) you’ll understand why.
12-Whinchat
Definition: a small brown and buff European singing bird of grassy meadows
The English language is so loaded with words like blowhard and gasbag that we should have one teensy positive word for a polite interlocuter, as a treat.
Whinchat would more than fit the bill (cough), no? Whin refers to the gorse plant, alas, and not to winning, but that can stay between us.
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