A name like go-away-bird or sapsucker can sound invented until you hear the call or look at the marks left behind. These weird bird names point to something real. Some describe a sound or a habit, while others preserve…
Items 37 The creator’s order
1 Grey go-away-bird The call can sound like the bird is telling you to go away. The words are an approximation of the drawn-out alarm, which is easier to hear in a recording than to guess from the gray crest. It is a good example of people putting a bird’s sound into ordinary speech. 0 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker The sapsucker part describes the bird’s habit of drilling rows of shallow wells into trees and returning for sap. The pale yellow that can wash the belly is subtler than the name sounds. Rows of holes on a trunk can be more obvious than the color on the bird. 0 3 Laughing kookaburra The laughing part needs little explanation once a kookaburra starts calling. The chuckles build into loud bursts that can sound like several people laughing together. This is a name that makes more sense in a recording than it does beside a quiet photograph. 0 4 Shoebill A large, broad bill gives the bird its name. From the side, the tip curves down and the upper bill bulges like the toe of a shoe. From the front, the bill and the bird’s steady stare are two different parts of the same unforgettable profile. 0 5 Bufflehead The name points to a buffalo-like profile. The male can puff the feathers around its head so it looks especially big above a small body. When the feathers lie flat, the white patch remains a more dependable way to spot the same duck. 0 6 Black-capped chickadee Listen for the little notes that sound like chick-a-dee. The black cap is the separate clue for identifying the bird when it is quiet. Putting the call and the pattern together makes this a name you can remember with both your ears and eyes. 0 7 Eastern wood pewee The slurred call sounds like pee-a-wee, the source of the pewee part of the name. The bird is plain gray-brown, so your ears often give you a better clue than your eyes. Listen for the phrase repeating around woodland edges. 0 8 Bald eagle Bald once had a meaning close to white-headed. It fits the adult eagle’s snow-white feathers. A young bald eagle is still mostly dark, so it can take years before you see the color that explains the name. 0 9 Common poorwill The name follows the sound of the call, a soft repeated phrase that can sound like poor-will. It is easiest to understand after dusk, when the pattern stands out more than the shadowy bird making it. The name leaves out the little changes you may hear between calls. 0 10 Sword-billed hummingbird The bill projects in a long straight line like the blade of a sword. It can reach into deep flowers from well outside the opening. The small body behind it is handy for comparison when a photograph makes it hard to guess how long the bill really is. 0 
Grey go-away-birdThe call can sound like the bird is telling you to go away. The words are an approximation of the drawn-out alarm, which is easier to hear in a recording than to guess from the gray crest. It is a good example of people putting a bird’s sound into ordinary speech.0
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerThe sapsucker part describes the bird’s habit of drilling rows of shallow wells into trees and returning for sap. The pale yellow that can wash the belly is subtler than the name sounds. Rows of holes on a trunk can be more obvious than the color on the bird.0
Laughing kookaburraThe laughing part needs little explanation once a kookaburra starts calling. The chuckles build into loud bursts that can sound like several people laughing together. This is a name that makes more sense in a recording than it does beside a quiet photograph.0
ShoebillA large, broad bill gives the bird its name. From the side, the tip curves down and the upper bill bulges like the toe of a shoe. From the front, the bill and the bird’s steady stare are two different parts of the same unforgettable profile.0
BuffleheadThe name points to a buffalo-like profile. The male can puff the feathers around its head so it looks especially big above a small body. When the feathers lie flat, the white patch remains a more dependable way to spot the same duck.0
Black-capped chickadeeListen for the little notes that sound like chick-a-dee. The black cap is the separate clue for identifying the bird when it is quiet. Putting the call and the pattern together makes this a name you can remember with both your ears and eyes.0
Eastern wood peweeThe slurred call sounds like pee-a-wee, the source of the pewee part of the name. The bird is plain gray-brown, so your ears often give you a better clue than your eyes. Listen for the phrase repeating around woodland edges.0
Bald eagleBald once had a meaning close to white-headed. It fits the adult eagle’s snow-white feathers. A young bald eagle is still mostly dark, so it can take years before you see the color that explains the name.0
Common poorwillThe name follows the sound of the call, a soft repeated phrase that can sound like poor-will. It is easiest to understand after dusk, when the pattern stands out more than the shadowy bird making it. The name leaves out the little changes you may hear between calls.0
Sword-billed hummingbirdThe bill projects in a long straight line like the blade of a sword. It can reach into deep flowers from well outside the opening. The small body behind it is handy for comparison when a photograph makes it hard to guess how long the bill really is.0