It has been a very long time that I’ve posted to my weblog within the current previous. The rationale has been as a result of a double whammy, the good Indian Circus, elections was on – and your complete nation was out on the streets for 3 full months attempting to choose up – who will rule the nation for the subsequent 5 years, second was that in between this schedule I had tied up a visit to Borneo for birdwatching with some members of Chandigarh Chicken membership. The preparation, journey and the aftermath has been very tiring. Although I had supposed to pen down the expertise of the go to too, seeing my routine and engagements I relegated it to a while within the close to future.
I’ve no formal coaching in any ornithological research however I used to be all the time intrigued by the scientific names of the birds I used to return throughout throughout birdwatching. So I’ve been on to this process of studying extra about how the birds are named and what’s the logic behind the naming them. I’m sharing the research that I’ve achieved for previous nearly six months and tried to put them down for everybody to grasp in as straightforward a language and clarification as doable.
Firstly, the moot query – can we handle these names as scientific? or Latin names? Calling them the Latin names is how we handle them pretty generally, although that is probably not any longer true. Many languages have contributed to names of the birds, Latin is/was quite common, however many names of birds are actually Greek, from Outdated English, Russian, Malay, South American native languages and so forth. That being mentioned, whatever the origin, generic names are required to have a type of a Latin noun, with outlined gender and particular names are required to say no based on guidelines of Latin adjectives. It is a reality because the system was at the moment when Latin was the language of Worldwide Communication. Nevertheless, in in the present day’s sense calling them as Scientific Names could also be appropriate as some names will not be Latin in any respect.
There are in all 4 elements of the total scientific identify. The first a part of the identify describes the genus that distinguishes a bunch of remoted, distinctive species. This have to be a type of a noun or a substantivised adjective handled as a noun. This has to start with an Higher-case letter. The second a part of the identify begins with a lower-case letter and describes the species inside the genus and will take many types although it’s generally an adjective or a noun within the genitive case. The third and the fourth half reveal the identify and the yr by which that identify was first validly revealed as a Binomen.
Now that we all know that the scientific names are to be addressed as ‘Scientific Names’, the names have been and are coined utilizing totally different standards. These classes/standards are as given under: –
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| White-bellied Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis pallidipes) |
For example, this endemic chicken of India, the White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, whose scientific identify is Cyornis pallidipes. Right here Cyornis is derived from the Greek kuanos which means Darkish Blue and ornis for chicken. pallidipes in Latin stands for pale and pes for the foot. So the identify describes the plumage and bodily traits as a Darkish blue chicken with the pale foot.
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| Gray-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) |
The instance of this chicken is Gray-breasted Prinia, whose scientific identify is Prinia hodgsonii, Right here Prinia is a Javanese identify Prinya and hodgsonii is identify given in honour of Brian Houghton Hodgson (1800-1894), and English diplomat, resident of Nepal from 1833 to 1844 who was an ethnologist and a collector. His identify figures in quite a lot of species scientific identify as hodgsoni / hodgsoniae / hodgsonii / Hodgsonius and so forth.
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| Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) |
An instance of this chicken is the attractive Chukar Partridge whose scientific identify is Alectoris chukar, with Alectoris is a derivation of Greek phrase alektoris which means farmyard fowl/hen and chukar a by-product of Hindi identify Chukor.
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| Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense) |
For example of this class I’ve picked out Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense) the place Dinopium is by-product of Greek deinos which means may, ōpos is look. The Toponym half is benghalense depicts Bengal – traditionally giant a part of India and Bangladesh.
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| Golden Babbler (Stachyridopsis chrysaea) |
Right here the Stachyridopsis is by-product from genus Stachyris that roughly interprets stakhus as ear of wheat and rhis refers to nostrils; reference to the form of opercula or scales nearly closing the nostrils. opsis means look. chrysaea which means Golden.
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| Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) |
The birds are very cell and happen in a big number of habitat. For example of this class, I’ve picked out this chicken, Black-tailed Godwit, the scientific identify of which is Limosa limosa, limosa is Latin by-product of limosus which means muddy. This chicken, true to its identify is discovered on the muddy ocean or lake shores.
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| Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar) |
Like defined above the identify is a derivation of the work or accupation. For example right here, Streaked Weaver’s Scientific identify is Ploceus manyar, with ploceus being a Greek by-product of a phrase plokeus which means weaver, braider or a plaiter (plekō being to plait, or to entwine). manyar, then again, is the Tamil identify Manja for numerous weavers (Ploceus)
8. Phagonym: (Gr. phagein to eat: onuma identify) The names on this class reveal the number of meals gadgets or prey of birds, together with spiders, bananas, carrion, crabs, lizards and so forth.
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| Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) |
The scientific identify of Little Spiderhunter is Arachnothera that literal translation of Greek phrase, arakhnēs which means spider and –thēras which means hunter. longirostra is a derivation of Latin longus lengthy; –rostris means billed. So all in all – the scientific identify means – spiderhunter that has an extended invoice.
9. Phononym: (Gr. phōnē voice, sound: onuma identify) This class makes use of the names based mostly upon the sounds/songs of the birds. Surprisingly, this class has yielded comparatively few names inspite of the truth that the birds are so many a instances related to the songs, calls and has been admired all through the ages.
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| Widespread Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) |
Like described above, inspite of the birds being so carefully associated to their songs – it isn’t widespread to return throughout chicken’s scientific identify based mostly on this facet. For example right here is Widespread Chiffchaff whose scientific identify is Phylloscopus collybita. The primary half pholloscopus is derived from two Greek phrases, phullon which means leaf; skopos which means seeker. It’s the second phrase, collybita that’s based mostly on Latin identify collybista money-changer. In Normandy, Widespread Chiffchaff is named ‘Compteur d’argent’ from its music that resembles the clinking of cash.
