We’ve all done it. Lord knows, I’ve done it. We’ve misspelled bird names. And it’s no wonder. I mean, we birders routinely have occasion to say–and write–such words as Phainopepla and Pyrrhuloxia. Anzalduas and Wakodahatchee. Kenn with two n’s, ffrench with two lower-case f’s, and Louis Fuertes’ middle name. I even have in my possession here a Birding manuscript with Apu’s surname. (It’s Nahasapeemapetilon.)
And rectrix. It’s not retrix, and the plural isn’t retrices.
How about bird names themselves? Phainopepla and Pyrrhuloxia are so weird that I think many of us take the time to look them up and get it right. I still find myself looking up Tamaulipas, every time I need to refer to that crow (or is it a raven?) I’ve never seen. No, the tricksters are the ones that don’t seem that hard. Without further ado:
Stellar’s Jay. Photo by (c) Bill Schmoker.
- Forester’s Tern
- American Kestral
- Great-crested Flycatcher (and Great-crested Flycather)
- American Widgeon
- Common Mynah
- Stellar’s Jay
- Scripp’s Murrelet
- MacGillivary’s Warbler
- Ridgeway’s Rail
- Heerman’s Gull, Hermann’s Gull, and especially HEGU
I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch. Can you think of others?
And remember: We’re all friends. We’ve all done it. I sometimes wonder if I’ve misspelled more bird names than anybody in the history of American birding.
The 10 Most Commonly Missplepled Words in Briding
We’ve all done it. Lord knows, I’ve done it. We’ve misspelled bird names. And it’s no wonder. I mean, we birders routinely have occasion to say–and write–such words as Phainopepla and Pyrrhuloxia. Anzalduas and Wakodahatchee. Kenn with two n’s, ffrench with two lower-case f’s, and Louis Fuertes’ middle name. I even have in my possession here a Birding manuscript with Apu’s surname. (It’s Nahasapeemapetilon.)
And rectrix. It’s not retrix, and the plural isn’t retrices.
How about bird names themselves? Phainopepla and Pyrrhuloxia are so weird that I think many of us take the time to look them up and get it right. I still find myself looking up Tamaulipas, every time I need to refer to that crow (or is it a raven?) I’ve never seen. No, the tricksters are the ones that don’t seem that hard. Without further ado:
Stellar’s Jay. Photo by (c) Bill Schmoker.
I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch. Can you think of others?
And remember: We’re all friends. We’ve all done it. I sometimes wonder if I’ve misspelled more bird names than anybody in the history of American birding.