Birds

What's in a Name: From Accipiter to Zoothera. The Origin of Bird Names

Peter Barry

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Paperback

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English

New Holland
15 July 2025

Mathematics & Sciences; Birds (ornithology)

Summary
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This entertaining and informative guide explains the meanings of bird names, many of which have fascinating origins and stories behind them.

The universal system of

scientific

names, based largely on Greek and Latin, is used in all good bird books and assists birdwatchers around the world in figuring out exactly what they are looking at. While some of the names are fairly self-explanatory

such as Troglodytes for wren, meaning

cave-dweller

others are more mysterious

Caprimulgus for nightjar, for example, meaning

goat-sucker .

Covering hundreds of bird species from around the world, Birds: What s In A Name? includes explanations of hundreds of scientific names and common names, as well as delivering a wealth of other facts and trivia relating to the species concerned. In short, it s the most readable and entertaining book on the subject available anywhere.

Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard)

The duck with the flat beak . Ixobrychus minutus (Little Bittern)

Small reed bellower . Strigops habroptilus (Kakapo) A bird that

looks like an owl, with soft feathers . Ptilonorhynchus violaceus (Satin Bowerbird)

Violet bird with a feathered bill . Tachybaptus ruficollis (Little Grebe) Literally translated, this is the

red-collared fast-sinker .

By: Peter Barry
Imprint: New Holland
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 190mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9781760796952
ISBN 10: 1760796956
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 15 July 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming