Renowned ornithologist Stephen Moss said there are many ways to name a bird, based on the sound they make, their habitat or their colour. He described the detective work of finding connections with languages such as German and Italian when trying to track certain names and meanings. There was plenty of insight on lesser known species but Moss also supplied extra knowledge on popular birds. “Anyone know why the redbreast isn’t called the orangebreast?” he asked, before explaining that the word for orange simply didn’t exist at the time of its naming.
Moss encouraged the audience to get involved, asking which county had three birds named after it. The answers came from all corners of the room like a cacophony of birdcalls.
Some birds, Moss said, are named after people, for example Dupont's Lark and Bewick's Swan; people couldn't name birds after themselves so there was often a case of "back-scratching" as colleagues named birds after each other.
Moss' book traces his journey where he tried to catch a glimpse of a specific bird: Mrs. Moreau’s Warbler. It took him across the world. To find out how that name came about, you need to read the book.
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