Writing about birds in people history and people in bird history birdhistory.substack.com https://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mky4ueg7yc2gTHE 10 GREATEST BIRD NAMES OF ALL TIME 🧵 #10: Strange Weaver On first appearances no more odd than any of the other weavers. But they’re a real freak, once you get to know them. Found in Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 May 2026 21:43 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mky4ueg7yc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mkuvlgycpc2g100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 9: #20 to #11 🧵 #20: Blood Pheasant We’re in the FINAL STRETCH and the birds names are going harder than is advisable. From the netherworld (or, the Himalayas, depending on who’s asking), and wears the blood of its enemies in its feathers. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 May 2026 14:55 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuvlgycpc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mksgfohjoc2g100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 8: #30 to #21 🧵 #30: Vampire Ground-Finch A species of Galapagos finch (ie, Darwin’s Finches) that evolved the taste for blood, which it sometimes drinks by pecking open the skin of Blue-footed Boobies. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 May 2026 15:18 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksgfohjoc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mkps6b5mys2w100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 7: #40 to #31 🧵 #40: Modest Tiger-Parrot Beautiful, not to mention accomplished, but won’t tell you about it. Females have gorgeous orange and black tiger-like barring on their chest. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Apr 2026 14:10 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkps6b5mys2whttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mknena7ezk2cOn July 28, 1880, a woodcock flew into an auction store on 6th Avenue. They caught him, put him in a cage, and named him Dick. He got a NYT profile and crowds came to watch him. Dick was New York City's first celebrity woodcock. I told his story here: https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/the-tragic-tale-of-woodcock-dick29 Apr 2026 15:03 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknena7ezk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mknczp5wxc2k100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 6: #50 to #41 🧵 #50: Squacco Heron Lots of birds are named after their call but none so persuasively as this one. If a bird squawks, shouldn’t it be called Squacco? [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Apr 2026 14:34 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknczp5wxc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mkldam2trk2o100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 5: #60 to #51 🧵 #60: Growling Riflebird Its black velvety plumage supposedly resembles the uniform of the 19th century British Army Rifle Brigade. Plus, it growls. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Apr 2026 19:33 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkldam2trk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mkid6borrc2h100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 4: #70 to #61 🧵 #70: Chaco Chachalaca Say this bird's name out loud. You're already happier than you were 8 seconds ago. Chachalaca comes from the Nahuatl word for “to chatter”. eBird transcribes their song as “bink, ka chee chaw raw taw.” [contains quote post or other embedded content]27 Apr 2026 14:53 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkid6borrc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mkfviuxyp22r100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 3: #80 to #71 🧵 #80: Cinderella Waxbill 293 birds are “grey”, 32 are “ashy”, and 16 are “cinereous,” which all could have worked for this bird, but some ornithologist with joy in their heart called it Cinderella instead. [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 Apr 2026 15:43 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkfviuxyp22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mkdj72kvas2k100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 2: #90 to #81 🧵 #90: Weebill Everything's little about Australia's littlest bird but its bill is littlest of all. It's song even sounds like it's saying "I'm a wee-bill." Decently cute bird but impossibly cute name. How could I say no? [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Apr 2026 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkdj72kvas2khttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mkarbpf4ak25100 Greatest Bird Names, Day 1: #100 to #91 🧵 #100: Chad Firefinch This is no Virginia Rail. Cockiest bird in Central Africa. Even though it's #100, the selection process was still incredibly competitive. This bird is still in the top 1% of all bird names. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Apr 2026 14:45 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkarbpf4ak25https://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mk6fttlzi227There are more than 11,000 kinds of birds. I evaluated them all and made a definitive list of the 100 greatest names. I consider myself a bird name connoisseur but these blew me away. Over the next 10 days I'll add them to this thread. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.23 Apr 2026 16:15 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6fttlzi227https://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mk4tr7wd5k24Love a bird that tells you exactly who it is23 Apr 2026 01:18 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk4tr7wd5k24https://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mjp7w5ctes2cOne thing I love about new york is that its most important birds get obituaries17 Apr 2026 15:19 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjp7w5ctes2chttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mjmmkftz5k2hIf you thought people got excited about woodcocks today, the things sportsmen said about them a hundred years ago would make you blush [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 Apr 2026 14:27 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmmkftz5k2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mjkxdtsezs2hMaybe you just learned about woodcocks, but they've been a big deal for centuries. I wrote about the long history of loving the American Woodcock https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/more-than-the-latest-it-bird?r=2n7oeo15 Apr 2026 22:35 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkxdtsezs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mjhv5babnk2vi found this florida woman who was feeding a sandhill crane Grape-Nuts in 1913 and I'm not sure what to do with this info but I'm kind of floored "his favorite food is grape-nuts" okay! go off!14 Apr 2026 17:17 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhv5babnk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mih4c6bmks2zhuh01 Apr 2026 16:27 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mih4c6bmks2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mfu7q3xv7k2vEighty percent of the time I get excited about hearing a bird song I don't recognize it's actually a catbird. I love this description from Florence Merriam, 1889.27 Feb 2026 17:18 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfu7q3xv7k2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mfnebky7bc2ewhat can i get started for ya24 Feb 2026 23:50 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfnebky7bc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mfksldoiyk2rSeeking: books on gilded age / progressive era social movements. Any recommendations??23 Feb 2026 23:28 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfksldoiyk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mfk266jxqs2kA hundred years ago this is what people were thinking about when there was a blizzard https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/charity-to-the-outdoor-poor23 Feb 2026 16:12 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfk266jxqs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mfchyncbz22chere's 36 names that people used to call the Northern Flicker. personal favorites include yucker and tapping-bird20 Feb 2026 15:58 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfchyncbz22chttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mfafayzz7c23corset-burning: quite hardcore? Also, corsets: made from whale bones??19 Feb 2026 20:03 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfafayzz7c23https://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mfa3yewxwk2aI had a conversation with my friend Grant Mulligan at Progress Accumulation about the role birds have played in America’s history, not just for the birders and ornithologists, but for everyone who’s called America home. Give it a listen! https://substack.com/home/post/p-18842538619 Feb 2026 17:18 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfa3yewxwk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/birdhistory.bsky.social/post/3mf5vyzxi4s2pI read a passage about street urchins (c. 1886) and thought "we really don't talk about street urchins any more" but google suggests we're actually talking about them more than ever. Any theories?18 Feb 2026 20:25 +0000at://did:plc:wdo3hoft6dkvq4b2caewrruq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf5vyzxi4s2p