Etymology

Where Did Those Bird Names Come From?

Posted on by Edmund McDevitt

I’m a long-time birder. We birders bandy about bird monikers as if they are part of everyday speech: Grebe. Parula. Cormorant. Sandpiper. Vireo. Swallow. Nuthatch. Bunting. Nighthawk, Killdeer, Osprey, Wren. Some bird names have very long standing, going back to languages we no longer speak. Some are echoic (sort of): Continue Reading