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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4 #81368 - 09/21/02 06:39 PM Bird words   Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Dear WW: there must be a lot of interesting words about birds. If the birds like ostriches, moas,casskwaries, kiwis, and emus are "ratites" meaning they run, what is the term for birds that hop, jumping with both feet toegether? Today at park there were herons perching in trees, which I have never seen before. And a new flock of white pelicans, in oval formation, stalking a school of fingerlings, and in unison siddenly upending to catch them. I've never before seen birds use teamwork llike that. Is there a special word for that? #81369 - 09/21/02 06:46 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... I'll return to a search here, wwh, after returning from the Ruritan barbeque. I must add that I saw on the island of Captiva huge flocks of pelicans at night seemingly float in to roost in the pines around the island. They dotted the rocking limbs like stars in the fading light. One of the prettiest, most calming sights in my experience. #81370 - 09/21/02 07:03 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Dear WW: my dictionary says that "columba" originally meant just a gray bird. Guess what a columbary is? a dovecote. And a columbarium? A tomb with niches on the wall for funerary urns. #81371 - 09/21/02 07:19 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Not abird word, but descriptive of incidental experience, seeing the pelicans using teamwork was an adventitious added pleasure to the walk around the pond in the park. #81372 - 09/21/02 08:50 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... wwh, I just noticed on the woodpecker thread the adjective scansorial, meaning climbing -- scansorial birds. There's a bird term to add to the list of (now) two. #81373 - 09/21/02 09:07 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Here's another term, but I don't quite get it. In fact, I don't get it. Having the bill cleft beyond the horny part, as in the case of swallows and goatsuckers. The word is: fissirostral #81374 - 09/21/02 09:12 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Oh, there's raptorial. Those are the birds with the big-bad-boy-of-the-neighborhood attitude. #81375 - 09/21/02 09:23 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... And, coincidentally, Langtolang's word of the day is vulture: vulture Turkish: akbaba German: Geier French: vautour Italian: avvoltoio Spanish: buitre #81376 - 09/21/02 10:07 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Dear W: Here is URL to a lot of bird pictures. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/pictlist.html I think the "fissirostral" adjective means the part of the beak that joins the skull is forked, that is skull is pointed anteriorly, and beak has notch at base that fits over this. It's been years since I saw a nighthawk. They were numerous on Boston streets kn late evening. Site I visted says they like to nest on flat roofs, and eat insects at night, including mosquitoes. Anything that easts mosquitoes gets my vote. #81377 - 09/21/02 10:34 PM Re: Bird words   Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 goatsuckers Chupacabras? http://www.princeton.edu/~accion/chupa.html http://www.crystalinks.com/chupacabras.html Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. 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