Why are the names of cars so unimaginative? Grant argues that auto manufacturers might take inspiration from ornithology to build a better car name. (Then again, would you be any less aggravated if you were rear-ended by a lazuli bunting?) Also this...
Martha talks about the hoopoe, that colorful, clownish, extremely smelly bird—with a likely linguistic connection to defrauded hedge fund investors.
urohydrosis n.— Note: The word is misspelled in the article. «For instance, the vultures urinate on their own legs, which both cools them down and applies an antiseptic that speeds healing—a practice called urophydrosis.» —“Raptors...
tar-tar n.— Note: “Toi toi” is a type of grass native to New Zealand, as described here, although there is at least one species of bird native to the country, the North Island tomtit, that is of the subspecies “toitoi...
chicken ark n.— «Getting set up with chickens can be very cheap: the birds themselves cost from 25p to £20 each and the housing can be home-made, although a wooden chicken “ark” will cost around £200.» —“How to be a 21st...
pishing v.— «Birders are a passionate flock. They will travel anywhere to get a glimpse of a rare bird. They will watch TV and look for birds, laughing at Hollywood if they hear a common loon in the desert. They think and even talk like...
