226 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



STANDGALL : The KESTREL. (Provincial.) An equivalent to 

 " Stannel " (q.v.), not a corruption of " Stand-gale " as has 

 been surmised. 



STANDHAWK: The KESTREL. (Provincial) lit. "stone- 

 hawk " (A.Sax. stow stone). 

 STANECHACKER : The WHEATEAR (Lancashire, Scotland, North 



Ireland) ; also the STONECHAT (Craven, Scotland). 

 STANEPECKER: The TURNSTONE. (Shetlands.) From its 

 habit of turning over small stones in searching for its food. 

 The name is also applied to the PURPLE SANDPIPER. 

 STANK-HEN or STANKIE : The MOORHEN. (Scottish Borders.) 

 Bolam says Stank is almost an equivalent of moat and 

 cites " the Stanks " at Berwick which are parts of the old 

 moat surrounding the town. 



STANNEL, STANNEL-HAWK, STANCHEL or STANNYEL : The 

 KESTREL. (Provincial) lit. " stone-yeller," from A.Sax. 

 stan=stone> and gellan (pron. yelltm) to yell. There are 

 many forms of this name occurring in Elizabethan and 

 more recent literature and some are still in use provincially. 

 Probably the original word is " Staniel." " Standgale " 

 appears to be a corruption, as this word has no connexion 

 with the sense of the word " Windhover." (See also 

 Standgall, Steingall, Stonegall.) 

 STANNIN (Standing?) HAWK: The SPARROW-HAWK. 



(Halifax.) 



STARAG. A Gaelic name for the HOODED CROW. 

 STARE: The STARLING. (West and North of England; 

 Ireland.) The original name of the bird, from A.Sax. steer, 

 Starling being a diminutive. Occurs in Willughby and 

 Merrett, while Pennant (ed. 1766) calls the bird by this 

 name. 



STARLING [No. 13]. From A.Sax. Steer, Steam and Sterlynq, 

 the latter being a diminutive. The name appears in Merrett 

 and Willughby. Turner (1544) has " Sterlyng." (See also 

 " Stare.") A provincial belief is that if Starlings congregate 

 in large numbers rain may be expected, but Swainson says 

 that in Brittany the belief is that it is a sign of impending 

 cold weather. 

 STARN. An old Norfolk name for the BLACK TERN. Also a 



Shetland name for the STARLING. 

 STARNEL : The STARLING. (Northants.) 

 STARNIL : The STARLING. (Notts.) 

 STEENIE POUTER : The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Orkneys.) 



