You find yourself down at the local bird hide on a Sunday morning and the gentleman next to you , who until this point hasn’t said a word , turns to you and wants to know if you remember what color the primaries are on the Honey buzzard. Well…not quiet knowing  which primaries he is talking about or where they are located, you reply that as far as you know the primary colors are red, blue and yellow… Well, as they say , that’s probably ruined the friendship.

I find myself in this situation most of the times when I take my car in for a service and the mechanic looks at me and suggests that we will have to clean the carburetor or replace it. Not being extremely handy with car engines I won’t know  one carburetor from another  if it jumped up from the floor and bit me on the leg…but I solemnly agree that it’s probably time the carburetor had a checkup…after all…the carburetor is in the engine, as far as I know.

Birding has its own language and the basic terms are quiet self-explanatory, I am a far cry from being an ornithologist , but as a nature guide its helpful to know what’s located where and how it all works so that you don’t get left behind down in the chat at the bird hide.

 

Here is a list of some basic birding terms to get you started or refreshed:

 

Alien: A bird that is not indigenous to the area

Call: Sharp notes given by birds for alarm and contacting each other

Casque: Helmet like process on the top of the bill

Cere: Colored bare skin at the base of the upper mandible

Colonial: association in proximity while feeding, nesting or roosting

Crest: Elongated feathers on the forehead, crown or nape

Decurved: Curving downwards

Display: Behavior in which the bird attracts attention while courting or defending an territory

Endemic: Entire species population restricted to a certain region

Feral: Species that escaped from captivity and now live in the wild

Flush: To rouse and put to flight

Immature: Birds that have molted its juvenile plumage but has not attained full adult plumage

Juvenile: First fully feathered plumage of a young bird

Migrant: Birds that undertake long distance flights between its wintering and breeding areas

Moustachial stripes: Lines running from base of bill to sides of the throat

Near- Endemic: Almost entire population restricted to a certain region

Parasitize: When birds lay their eggs in the nest of other species for the purpose of incubation

Palearctic: biogeographic region that includes Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas, and Africa north of the Sahara.

Plumage: Birds feathering

Primaries: Outermost flight feathers of a bird

Resident: Birds that occur throughout the year in a region and does not migrate

Roost: To sleep or rest in flocks

Shield: Bare skin on base of bill and on forehead

Song: Series of notes given by make to proclaim territory

Territory: An area a bird establishes and defends

Vent: area from the belly to the undertail coverts

 

Happy birding !