Dialect Birdnames (1 Viewer)

[birdman]

I've started a new thread for this, as the following are not suitable as regularly used alternatives in the "Alternative Names" thread.

Even as a Yorkshireman, I have heard of very few of these, but taken from The Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore by Arnold Kellett, some Yorkshire dialect names for birds...

Billy-biter : Blue Tit
Bullspink : Bullfinch
Chippy, Gippy etc. : Starling
Clocker : Hen with chicks
Crake, Creeak : Crow
Cushat : Ring-dove (Woodpigeon?)
Dorp : Carrion Crow
Fleck-lenny : Chaffinch
Geeas, Gooise : Goose
Gollie : Baby bird without feathers
Gossie : Gosling
Gowk : Cuckoo
Laverock : Skylark (ON laevirke)
Nanpie : Magpie
Pet : Kittiwake
Pahnat. Pie-not : Magpie
Ruddock : Robin
Shepster : Starling
Skillie : Skylark
Spink : Chaffinch
Spuggy : House Sparrow
Starnel : Starling
Steeanchecker : Stonechat
Steg : Gander (ON steggi, male bird)
Stoggy : Stock Dove, Woodpigeon
Tewit : Lapwing
Throssie, Throstle : Song Thrush
Titmoos : Blue Tit
Ullot : Owl (diminutive of OE ule)
Uzzle : Blackbird (OE osle; cf Ring Ouzel)
Yaffle, Yaffler : Green Woodpecker


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[Michael Frankis]

Hi Birdman,

Cushat : Ring-dove (Woodpigeon?)

Yep, Wood Pigeon. They're also called Cushats in Northumbs. There's a Cushat Law (a hill) in the Cheviots.

Michael

 

[Bluetail]

Quite a few of these (but by no means all) are in the Oxford Book of British Bird Names. Interestingly it says that "Billy Biter" is a Sussex name for Blue Tit, but doesn't mention Yorkshire. It gives "Dowp" rather than "Dorp" for crow and confirms "Gowp" as Cuckoo, adding that "Gowp's Fool" is a northern name for Meadow Pipit.

 

[Darrell Clegg]

Hi Birdman, as a fellow (albeit exiled) Yorkshireman I agree that most of those names are never used. Having said that, both spug or spog are commonly used for House Sparrow, and Shep rather than Shepster is used instead of Starling.
Cuddy is one you missed, which is of course a Dunnock.


Darrell

 

[birdman]

Hi Birdman, as a fellow (albeit exiled) Yorkshireman I agree that most of those names are never used. Having said that, both spug or spog are commonly used for House Sparrow, and Shep rather than Shepster is used instead of Starling.
Cuddy is one you missed, which is of course a Dunnock.


Darrell

Yeah you're right, I did miss Cuddy... which is a surprise because when I noticed it first, I immediately thought of BF member Cuddy, who takes his name from the Cuddy-duck... which I can't remember what that is!!!

 

[Bluetail]

Yeah you're right, I did miss Cuddy... which is a surprise because when I noticed it first, I immediately thought of BF member Cuddy, who takes his name from the Cuddy-duck... which I can't remember what that is!!!

Post #10 here:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=6640