Words of a Feather

Authors

William Young

Abstract

Have you ever encountered a white-whiskered hermit or a festive coquette? How about a rifleman or a firewood-gatherer? Have you seen a village weaver or a bearded mountaineer? What about a red-tailed comet or a shining sunbeam? If you answered in the affirmative to any of these questions, you are probably a birdwatcher, because these are all names of birds from around the world. The common names of birds reflect a use of language almost as colorful as their plumages.

Recommended Citation

Young, William (1999) "Words of a Feather," Word Ways: Vol. 32 : Iss. 4 , Article 19.
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/wordways/vol32/iss4/19