funny bird names (europe) (1 Viewer)

[Henrik Hestbech]

Hi there

I like old and dialect names for birds - does anyone have other names for the european bittern?

In Danish, we call it a reed-drum (rørdrum) - I know they have similar names in Dutch and German. Do you have an analog in English? Does the word bittern mean anything, by the way?

( I like the scientific name : Botaurus= Bullroarer? Sounds like somebody from Hobbitton, I think)

- Henrik

 

[birdman]

Hi Henrik,

I think you'll find one or two people on BF with a similar interest in dialect names.

We have a great book over here, that I've plugged at least twice before, called "British Birds, their Folklore, Names and Literature" by Francesca Greenoak (ISBN 0-7136-4814-7).

Here's a few Bittern names of a similar vein.

Bog Drum (Ireland, Scotland)
Miredrum (Northumberland)

Also from the sound...

Bog Bumper (Scotland)
Butter Bump, Bottle Bump (Yorkshire)
Boom Bird (Wales)
Bumpy Cors (Bwympygors = boom of the marsh) (Wales)

Also the book decribes Botaurus as a combination of bos=ox and taurus=bull

Some "bullish" dialect names...

Bull of the Box (=perhaps Bogs?) (Roxburgh)
Bull of the Mire (Northumberland)

:t:

 

[christineredgate]

Iv'e just put a list on another thread re names of birds from the old Cumbrian dialect.Will go back and check the thread title.

"Reasons Birds have the names they have"page 1 at the moment.

 

[Michael Frankis]

There are of course the interesting Danish woodpeckers . . .

Sortspætte
Grønspætte
Rødspætte

(sort = black, grøn = green, rød = red)

I'll wait for Henrik to give the distinctions between the three :-O

Michael

 

[Henrik Hestbech]

the woodpeckers (spætte s) Danish name is related to the latin word Picus. I suppose it means something spiky?

Sortspætte: (sort = black) = Black woodpecker

Grønspætte: (grøn = green) = Green woodpecker

the last one is more tricky. It is not often spottet by onithologists, as it is most commonly associated with water. Scientific name: Pleuronectes platessa
Rødspætte: (Spætte = spotted, rød=red)

Henrik

 

[Zheljko]

does anyone have other names for the european bittern?

Here in Serbia we call it "Bukavac" (noise-maker) and the obsolete name is "Vodenbik" (water bull).

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Pleuronectes platessa, I just like them (especially fried...and you don´t have to pluck them...) B

Moorochse is one old german name for the Great Bittern; would be translated as Bog Bullock probably.