Shoveler

Shoveler

Anas clypeata
[Linnaeus, 1758]

The shoveler is, depending on what your take on it is, either a strangely named duck (scientifically-speaking) or quite aptly named.

Anas means duck in Latin and clypeata literally means "shield-bearing" (from the Latin clypeus, "shield").

Many people think of the shoveler's shield being the male's obvious white breast but I can't help thinking that the shield is more indicative of the broad shield-like bill of both sexes.

You'll call it as you see fit of course, but in any case, the Latin scientific name for shoveler literally means:
"shield-bearing duck".

Pintail

Pintail

Anas acuta
[Linnaeus, 1758]

The (northern) pintail is a very elegant waterfowl and once was probably the most numerous duck species in the world.
It has a very obvious set of elongated central tail feathers which not only give it its English-speakers' common name of pintail but also its scientific name.

Anas means "duck" in Latin.
acutus literally means "sharp or pointed" in Latin (think of an acute angle or acute appendicitis...)

So, the (northern) pintail's scientific name literally means  "sharp (or pointed) duck".

Gadwall

Gadwall

Anas strepera

[Linnaeus, 1758]

The gadwall is a strangely-named duck in my opinion. Firstly, no-one seems to know where the word "gadwall" actually comes from and secondly it has a pretty poor scientific name.

Anas means "duck" in Latin (which is fair enough I suppose) but streperus means "noisy" in Latin - and this is where I must have missed something when watching these very subtly-beautiful waterfowl.

I would hardly describe the gadwall as a "noisy duck" but that's the literal meaning of its scientific name. Gadwalls are particularly quiet until they start to breed and then, whereas the much noisier (most of the time) mallard goes all quiet (and starts ducking and bobbing) when breeding, the gadwall at least has a mating call (a "nheck" and "whistle")

So yes, I guess the male gadwall does (somewhat) noisily announce his readiness for mating but other than that, I'd not say they're a noisy waterfowl at all...

Brent goose

Brent goose 

Branta bernicla 

[Linnaeus, 1758]

The brent goose is another member of the Anatidae family (swans, ducks and geese) and like the alien Canada goose, a "black goose" like the barnacle goose also - one of the Branta genus of geese as opposed to the grey Anser genus.

I've included the brent goose in my list of zoological nomenclature explanations here as its scientific name might confuse the unsuspecting...

Whilst dissecting the generic name of the Canada goose here, I've explained the stem of Branta (old Norse brand meaning singed black) but what can bernicla mean then?

Rather like the geese we call barnacle geese (similar-looking but unrelated geese, see below) medieval folklore would have it that the brent goose appeared from nowhere in the late autumn - born as goose barnacles (the barnacle was actually named after the goose, not the other way around).
This is because no-one tended to see barnacle or brent geese breeding or young - this all happened in the arctic.
It seems strange to us now that this was believed, but if you look at a goose barnacle, with its feathery feeding appendage extended, you could almost see what those medieval folk meant and understand why they thought goose barnacles were the young geese.

So bernicla literally means "barnacle" in Latin and the scientific name for the brent goose (NOT the barnacle goose), literally means:
the "singed goose that comes from a barnacle".

But what about the bird that we refer to as a "barnacle goose" - it can't have the same scientific name as the brent goose can it?
No... it doesn't. What we call the barnacle goose is referred to scientifically as Branta leucopsis - which literally means the "singed goose with a light white face". Far more sensible than the "singed goose that comes from a barnacle" don't you agree...?

Canada goose

Canada goose

Branta canadensis

[Linnaeus, 1758]

The Canada goose, even though being an alien invader to the UK (first introduced to St.James' Park as a North American addition to Charles II's waterfowl collection in 1665) at least gives me an opportunity to briefly start to discuss the "black geese" scientific names.

The so-called "black geese" all have solid areas of very (very) dark grey or black in their colouration - mainly their bill and feet/legs (but also often in their plumage) and all the "black geese" belong to the Branta genus of geese, as opposed to the Anser genus (grey geese), which have orange or pink feet and bills.

Branta geese as far as us Brits are concerned consist of the Canada goose, the barnacle goose and the brent goose.

Branta (and indeed "brent") has a stem in old Norse - brandgas meaning "burned goose" (singed black goose)
Canadensis is new Latin for "from Canada".

Therefore, the Canada goose has a scientific name composed from old Norse and Latin stems which literally means:
"singed (or burned or branded) goose from Canada".

Pink-footed goose

Pink-footed goose.

Anser brachyrhynchus 

[Baillon, 1834]

The pink-footed goose like any duck, goose or swan belongs to the Anatidae family. The "pink-foot" is a grey goose much like our other grey geese (white-fronted, greylag, bean).

These days, we differentiate between the "pink-footed goose" and its similar grey cousins by noting that the "pink-footed goose" has errr..... pink feet and legs, rather than the orange colour of other grey geese species.

When the pink-footed goose was classified though and given a scientific name, it wasn't the colour of its feet and legs that Baillon noted as different about this species. No... it was the fact that compared to greylag, bean geese and white-fronted geese, the pink-footed goose had a short, stubby bill. Very sensible I think, considering the fact that generally, when one is observing geese, their feet are invariably hidden under water or behind grass - making a determination of their colour often a little difficult.

Anser means "goose" in Latin.
Brakhus means "stubby" or "short" in Greek and Rhunkhos means "bill" (or "nose") also in Greek.

So what we know as the "pink-footed goose" is actually (and sensibly) known scientifically as the:
 "stubby-billed goose".

Bittern

Bittern

Botaurus stellaris 

[Linnaeus, 1758]

The bittern is a strange heron (Ardeidae family) indeed - and well known to early classical naturalists - the bird is even mentioned in the bible.

A bull-necked, thick-set, spangly-plumaged, partially nocturnal heron which hides deep in swamps and reedbeds during the day, the male bellows (or "booms") when advertising for a mate or proclaiming its territory. (See Pliny's description of this "booming" below)

I've almost explained the scientific name for the bittern without even breaking a sweat it seems...

The modern English word "bittern" stems from the old French "butor" which originally comes from the Gallo-Romance buitaurus ("ox-bull"), possibly on account of the fact that Pliny described it as "a bird which bellowed as a bull" - although this does seem a bit strange to me.

Botaurus is a Latin corruption of buitaurus and means (as described above) ox-bull.
Stellaris, Latin again, means "starry" - allthough whether this describes the bittern's spangled plumage or nocturnal habits might be up for debate (probably the former if I had to guess).

There we have it then... the bittern's Latin (in this case) name, literally means:

"Starry ox-bull".