Virginia Birders,
After realizing that I'm not sure how to pronounce a bunch of the names and
terms in my field guide I decided to hit the Internet, birding books,
dictionaries, and any other sources I could find. I ran across two great
sources listed at the end of this e-mail. Here's a brief list of birds and
terms that I have been unsure about and what I now believe to be the correct
pronunciation. Please feel free to correct me as I am not a linguist or an
ornithologist - just someone who wants to say the names correctly in front of
other birders. Also It will be fun to open up this can of worms and see what
comes out.
Ed Talbott
Grundy, VA
Bird Species:
Botteri's Sparrow [BOT-er-ih-eye] - 4 syllables (Bott Err E I)
- or also [Bott-er-eyes] (the one I like best)
Sabine's Gull [SAB-ins] - rhymes with "stab"
- not "SAY-beans"
Northern Parula [PAR-you-lah] "Parr you lah" - like par in golf
- also found as [Pair-a-lah] - but not "pah-roo-lah"
Pileated Woodpecker [pie-leh-AY-ted] or [pil-leh-AY-ted]
- both are correct - I like "pill-e-a-ted"
Vaux's Swift [VAWK-es] similar to the word "foxes"
- others say rhymes with "hawks" without the second syllable
- not the French "Vaux"
Gila Woodpecker [HE-lah]
Berylline Hummingbird [Bear-il-linn]
Xanthus Hummingbird [Zan-this]
Pochard [Po-chard]
- have also hear [Pock-ard] and [Poch-ard]
Smew [Sy-mew or Smoo] ?
Bewick's Wren [BEW-ick] - similar to the car Buick
Gyrfalcon [JER-fall-kon] or [Geir-fal-con] ??
Chukar [chu-KAR] - not "chuck-r"
Ptarmigan [Tar-me-gan]
Northern Jacana [yah-SI-na]
- have also heard [Ha-ka-na]
Laysan Albatross [Lie-san]
Roseate Tern [Ro-ze-ate] - 3 syllables
Guillemot [Gil-ih-mott]
- not French "gil-e-mo"
Craveri's Murrelet (Italian) [krah-vair-reez]
Kittlitz's Murrelet (German) Anyone speak German?
Groove-billed Ani (AH-nee)
- not "Ann-e"
Common Pauraque [pah-Ra-kay]
Fulmar - does it rhyme with dull or pull (both)?
Birding Terms:
Accipiter [ack-SIP-ih-ter]
- not "a-SIP-ih-ter"
ferruginous [fer-OO-jin-us]
gruiformes [groo-ih-FOR-meez]
auriculars [aw-RICK-you-lers]
reminges [REM-ih-jeez]
axillars [AK-sih-lers]
alula [AL-you-la]
rectrices [reck-TRY-seez]
Web Sites:
K. Radamaker & M. Patten's 1990 article on pronunciation of bird names (in
Birding 22:74-78)
Web Link:
http://www.mexicobirding.com/AZbirds/CBC/documents/pronounced_burd.pdf
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/birdname.htm
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