stevethehydra
Well-known member
I don't normally venture into this forum but... as I may be going to Mallorca this year, I was looking up wildlife and places of interest there, and then suddenly wondered - why are the crowned cranes called Balearica???
Both species are exclusively found in sub-Saharan Africa, there seems to be no evidence that they were ever present on any Mediterranean islands, but Wikipedia says the genus name comes from that of the islands, and it seems that the original etymology of "balearic" is disputed between Greek and Phoenician roots, with a few folk etymologies, but basically has only ever been a toponym for that group of islands.
So is there a story involving mistaken identity, or what?
Both species are exclusively found in sub-Saharan Africa, there seems to be no evidence that they were ever present on any Mediterranean islands, but Wikipedia says the genus name comes from that of the islands, and it seems that the original etymology of "balearic" is disputed between Greek and Phoenician roots, with a few folk etymologies, but basically has only ever been a toponym for that group of islands.
So is there a story involving mistaken identity, or what?