Anyone who has ever perused a field guide to birds has no doubt
wondered how some of the names originated. By convention, the
person who first describes a species gets to name it. The
stories behind the scientific names are complex and steeped in
Latin and Greek. Common names are another story. Some are
obviously and accurately descriptive. Red-headed woodpecker,
red-winged blackbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, and eastern
bluebird come to mind. Others are onomatopoeic, that is, they
sound like the voice of the bird. Chickadees, towhees, bobwhite,
bobolink, whip-poor-will and Chuck-will’s-widow are all
onomatopoeic names. Many bird names are less obviously
descriptive, and some are downright misleading. The red-bellied
woodpecker, for example, does not have a red belly. At best, its
belly is bathed in a pale rosy wash. Often understanding common
names requires some familiarity with other languages. Pileated
woodpecker, for example, refers to the bird’s large red crest.
In Latin, pilleatus means wearing a pilleus