Birds' Names 



Some birds get their names from their color, such as the bluebird, the black- 

 bird, the green finch, the oriole (which means the golden bird) and the flamingo 

 (which means the flame-colored bird). The Baltimore oriole is so called because 

 his colors are the same as those of the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore, the gov- 

 ernor of Maryland, a state where the bird is found in numbers. The jay gets his 

 name from the French word "gaie," referring to his bright plumage. 



The cries or songs of some birds give them their names. The chick-a-dee, 

 the whippoorwill, the bob-o-link and the cuckoo get their names in this way. 

 The catbird gives a cry that sounds like a cat meouing. The mocking bird mimics 

 the cries of other birds, and the owl gets its name from the Latin word ululo, 

 meaning to wail mournfully. 



Various characteristics give other birds their names. There is a small bird 

 that builds an oven-shaped nest and is therefore called the oven bird. The tailor 

 bird is named because of a way he has of stitching leaves together to build his 

 nest, and the weaver bird gets his name from the way he weaves together straws 

 and grasses for his home. 



The swift is a quick flying bird. The chimney swallow is a bird that builds 

 in chimneys. The horn-bill, the boat-bill and the spoonbill get their names from 

 the shapes of their bills, and the diver, the sandpiper and the woodpecker get 

 theirs from their habits. 



The wry-neck gets its name from a curious way it has of twisting its neck 

 over its shoulder, and the white ring around its neck gives the ring dove its name. 

 Some pigeons will always return to their homes, even if they are taken miles 

 away, and so they are called homing pigeons. 



The skylark gets its name from its habit of singing when it is high up in the 

 air. The wagtail gets his from the incessant wagging of his tail. The scissors- 

 tail is a South American bird, whose tail opens and shuts, attracting insects when 

 the bird is flying. 



From the Latin words murus, a wall, and tenco, which was shortened into 

 murten, we get the name "martin," for the bank swallow. From the French 

 pluvier, to rain, we get the name plover. The bird is so called because he looks 

 as if he were speckled with raindrops. 



Many birds get the names from their native countries. The Bantam, the 

 Guinea fowl and the Canary are among these. Our friend the turkey did not 

 originally come from Turkey, as you might suppose. He gets his name from 

 the sound he makes when he gobbles. 



The lyre bird's tail is in the shape of a lyre. The secretary bird has a tuft 

 of white feathers on each side of his head so that he looks as if he had stuck pens 

 behind his ears. 



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