Bird Names

Northern Cardinal

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Palm Warbler, FL in winter

Someone just asked us how a bird got its name. Birds were named by the first early naturalist to discover them. Sometimes they were named because of where the naturalist saw them, even though it might be a habitat the bird was rarely found in. For example, the Palm Warbler breeds in northern spruce bogs and winters in the South where it feeds in grassy areas. Palms are not its preferred habitat, yet it was named the Palm Warbler.
Other birds are named after something that makes sense about them, such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler, with its obvious "butter butt."
The Cardinal was named for its red color, similar to the red color of the Cardinal, church official's robes. For more about bird names go here.

Photos © Lillian Stokes, 2007