Irma is a form of the English and German Erma. Irma is also a contraction of the German Irmingard. Irma has 16 forms that are used in English and foreign languages. Forms used in English include Erma (used in German too), Herma, Irmagard, Irmagarde, Irmeena, Irmen, Irmgard, Irmgarde, Irmina, Irmine, and Irmyna. The Portuguese IrmÃ£ is a form of Irma that is in foreign languages. Specific foreign variants include the diminutive forms Imke (German and Frisian), Imma (German), Irmela (German), and Irmuska (Hungarian).
Although some people confuse woodcock with their close cousin, the snipe, the birds are separate species that belong to the sandpiper family. Unlike others in its family, woodcock prefer uplands. Woodcock are forest birds known for their erratic flight patterns and unusual spring displays by the males. A Senecan Indian myth says God made the woodcock from the leftover parts of other birds. Large eyes are located along the sides of the bird's head, allowing it to see in all directions, including directly behind.
Because of the male woodcock's unique, beautiful courtship flights, the bird is welcomed as a harbinger of spring in northern areas. It is also a popular game bird, with about 540,000 killed annually by some 133,000 hunters in the U.S. The American woodcock is the only species of woodcock inhabiting North America. Although classified with the sandpipers and shorebirds in Family Scolopacidae, the American woodcock lives mainly in upland settings. Its many folk names include timberdoodle, bogsucker, night partridge, brush snipe, hokumpoke, and becasse. The population of the American woodcock has fallen by an average of slightly more than 1% annually since the 1960s.