100 Birds and How They Got Their Names

by Diana Wells, Lauren Jarrett (Illustrator)

How did cranes come to symbolize matrimonial happiness? Why were magpies the only creatures that would not go inside Noah's Ark?

Birds and bird imagery are integral parts of our language and culture. With her remarkable ability to dig up curious and captivating facts, Diana Wells hatches a treat for active birders and armchair enthusiasts alike. Meet the intrepid adventurers and naturalists who risked their lives to describe and name new birds. Learn the mythical stories of the gods and goddess associated with bird names. Explore the avian emblems used by our greatest writers--from Coleridge's albatross in "The Ancient Mariner" to Poe's raven.

A sampling of the bird lore you'll find inside:

Benjamin Franklin didn't want the bald eagle on our National Seal because of its "bad moral character," (it steals from other birds); he lobbied for the turkey instead.

Chaffinches, whose Latin name means "unmarried," are called "bachelor birds" because they congregate in flocks of one gender.

Since mockingbirds mimic speech, some Native American tribes fed mockingbird hearts to their children, believing it helped them learn language.

A group of starlings is called a murmuration because they chatter so when they roost in the thousands.

Organized alphabetically, each of these bird tales is accompanied by a two-color line drawing. Dip into 100 Birds and you'll never look at a sparrow, an ostrich, or a wren in quite the same way.

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Science, Language, Natural History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2001

Reviews

[༺Kiki༻ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fiancé and I were watching swallows feeding at dusk. He asked if I knew why they were called swallows. I did, thanks to this wonderful little book.

The common name “swallow” comes from the Anglo-Saxon swalewe, which in turn comes from the Old Norse svala, meaning “cleft stick,” referring to the swallows’ forked tail.

Each bird is represented by a black and white illustration and a short essay. The accompanying text covers a variety of topics; including etymology, brief ornithological facts, historical significance, folklore, medicine, literary references, and uses in cookery.

This is a nice companion to any field guide.

[Linda Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book and I learned about birds I didn't know existed (hello Secretary Bird). I wish the author had spent more than the 2 1/2 pages per bird because I would have liked to know more about their habitats.

[Wild Stork · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not a great source of information on bird etymology as everything is surface level, but it didn't necessarily have to be. It served its purpose as a fun little leisure read.

[Julie Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was totally awesome. I was captivated by a lot of the stories of how the birds got their names, and as someone who is visually impaired, I can't see the birds myself, so a lot of the physical descriptions were interesting too. I was disturbed when reading about how the birds had to be killed to be studied back then, but I guess they worked with what they had. Even now, a lot of living creatures can be next to impossible to study while alive, and for them, we may never know how they truly live. Back when birds had to be shot to be studied, they couldn't study much about how they lived other than what they could see from a distance. There's still so much we don't know about these fascinating creatures, but this book was enlightening for me.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birds + etymology! What more could I desire?

Fun Facts I learned:
-In Japan, cranes are called marsh gods.
-Cocker spaniels got their name because they were bred to flush out woodcocks
-Snipes fly in zigzags when flushed, which makes for very difficult shooting. So someone good enough to shoot snipes were called snippers.
-Penguins weren't the original penguins. Auks were named Penguins at first. When actual penguins were found in the Southern Hemispheres, scientists thought they looked similar to their northern friends, so they also called them penguins. Once all the auks were hunted to extinction, they renamed the auks to auks and saved the word penguins for penguins.

[Joana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot reading this book, as a palate-cleanser between other books. There is a short chapter for each bird and their names are discussed, as well as myths and history concerning them. I was afraid it was going to based in north american birds, but eurasian birds are also mentioned, as well as species from other places like the kiwi, the ostrich etc. Bird naming is often uncertain, other times plain wrong and confusing (mistakes made by those that named them) but I always found it interesting.

[Nahira]

This books was very interesting. Each bird has a picture and a back story on how they got their names but also some facts about the specie. The book has stories about pirates and old folk tales that help give the names to some birds. Is a good read to learn about birds and some history too. I will recommend this book for kids on the upper elementary levels and even low level middle schoolers. Any kid who loves animals will love this book.

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was fascinated by the etymology and history that was presented in this book. As a lover of birds, words, and studying the past, 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names seemed like something I needed to read. Unfortunately, this work covers the appallingly disgusting ways that humans have treated birds over the centuries. This resulted in me not enjoying the book as much as I had hoped. People can be truly awful. Despite this, the information conveyed is quite interesting.

[CathyMW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and interesting chapters. Sometimes the author tried a little too hard to be "cute" as she summed up each bird.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super. Bird a day. Even I stand a chance of remembering the names and backstory.

[Anna Abney Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jacalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, easy reference read with a great bibliography.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

看到第一篇是albatross 就愛上了

[Maddy Barnard · Rating 2 out of 5]

It jumped around a lot and was a bit difficult to follow as someone who doesn't know a ton about burd taxonomy.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book, and unlike many books I read does exactly what it says in the title--describes the cultural history of the names of common birds, specifically those that have an impact on the daily life of residents of the United States.

For each bird there is a nice drawing by Lauren Jarret and the chapters are short and concise, making this book ideal for putting down and picking back up.

The one thing that I would recommend is picking up the bound version of the book. I read this on my Kindle, and the formatting of the book is completely lost on the Kindle. There are gaps, image errors, and weird breaks that are nowhere to be found in the print copy.

[Pandionhalatius37.6 · Rating 4 out of 5]

AWESOME!! fellow bird nerds, unite! this book is somewhat pointless but still totally packed full of random, useless information on the histories and obscure legends of common bird's names. it lists well known birds world wide. who knew that quail used to be a word for prostitute, and a bevvy could be a flock of quail or women? (oh, how i love learning new insults...) and if quail is too normal for you, you could insult your feminine foe by calling her a wren, which achieves practically the same result.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of fun facts beyond the name-sake of each featured bird, this book is sure to delight any bird lover. Here are a few of my favorite bits of trivia from the book:

(1) "The cardinal was the first bird to be given official state recognition, when in 1926 it was designated the state bird of Kentucky."

(2) "Mozart bought his pet starling when he heard it in a shop, whistling the Allegretto from his G Major Concerto."


(3) "Egyptians mummified both the [ibis] birds and their eggs."

[Louise Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice mix of facts from history, etymology, ornithology... A fun read that is good for young adults and adults. I think it would make a good book to have on a family library shelf.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming and informative book, but then I'm a huge fan of the bird.

[Bookwyrmgyrl]

Fascinating reading - wonderful etymologies! Quick, short entries - easy to read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative