Stories & Folklore
Nicknames, Delta folklore, and the deeper histories behind Memphis birds.
Acadian Flycatcher
"Pee-zay bird" · "ACFL (birder abbreviation)"
American Goldfinch
"Wild Canary" · "Thistle Bird" · "Yellow Finch"
American Redstart
"Candelita (Spanish — "little candle")" · "Firetail" · "Butterfly Warbler"
American Robin
"Robin" · "Redbreast (historical)" · "Robin Redbreast"
American White Pelican
"White Pelican" · "River Pelican"
Anhinga
"Snake Bird" · "Water Turkey" · "American Darter"
Bald Eagle
"American Eagle" · "White-headed Eagle"
Barn Swallow
"Swallow" · "Forked Tail"
Barred Owl
"Hoot Owl" · "Eight-hooter" · "Rain Owl" · "Striped Owl" · "Swamp Owl"
Belted Kingfisher
"Lazy Bird (old Southern)" · "River Kingfisher"
Black-and-white Warbler
"Zebra Warbler" · "Creeping Warbler" · "BAWW (birder abbreviation)"
Black-throated Blue Warbler
"BTBW (birder abbreviation)"
Black-throated Green Warbler
"BTNW (birder abbreviation)" · "Zoo-zee-zoo-zoo-zee (nickname from song)"
Blue Jay
"Jaybird" · "Nickel-jay"
Broad-winged Hawk
"Broadwing" · "Kettle Hawk"
Brown Thrasher
"Thrasher" · "Long Thrush" · "Sandy Mocker"
Canada Warbler
"CAWA (birder abbreviation)" · "Necklaced Warbler"
Carolina Chickadee
"Dee-dee bird" · "Southern Chickadee"
Carolina Wren
"Great Carolina Wren" · "Mocking Wren" · "Louisiana Wren"
Cedar Waxwing
"Waxwing" · "Cedarbird" · "Cherry-bird"
Cerulean Warbler
"CERW (birder abbreviation)"
Chestnut-sided Warbler
"Pleased-to-meetcha" · "CSWA (birder abbreviation)"
Chimney Swift
"Flying Cigar" · "Chimney Bird" · "American Swift"
Chuck-will's-widow
"Chuck" · "CWWI (birder abbreviation)"
Common Loon
"Great Northern Diver" · "Loon"
Common Yellowthroat
"Masked Warbler" · "Yellow Bandit" · "Witchety-witch"
Cooper's Hawk
"Chicken Hawk" · "Big Blue Darter" · "Backyard Hawk"
Dark-eyed Junco
"Snowbird" · "Slate-colored Junco" · "Winter Sparrow" · "Gray Snowbird"
Downy Woodpecker
"Little Woodpecker" · "Sapsucker (informal; incorrect)"
Eastern Bluebird
"Bluebird of Happiness" · "Blue Robin"
Eastern Kingbird
"Tyrant" · "Bee-martin" · "Field-martin"
Eastern Meadowlark
"Meadowlark" · "Field Lark"
Eastern Phoebe
"Phoebe" · "Water Pewee" · "Bridge Bird"
Eastern Towhee
"Towhee" · "Rufous-sided Towhee (old name)" · "EATO (birder abbreviation)"
Golden-winged Warbler
"GWWA (birder abbreviation)" · "Golden-wing"
Gray Catbird
"Catbird" · "Slate-colored Mockingbird" · "Black-capped Thrush (historical)"
Great Blue Heron
"Big Cranky" · "Blue Crane (Southern folk name; incorrect)" · "Fish Crane"
Great Crested Flycatcher
"GCF" · "GCFL (birder abbreviation)"
Great Egret
"Great White Egret" · "Common Egret" · "White Heron"
Great Horned Owl
"Hoot Owl" · "Tiger of the Woods" · "Cat Owl" · "Winged Tiger"
Greater Yellowlegs
"Big Yellowlegs" · "Tell-tale" · "Telltale Shorebird"
Hermit Thrush
"Swamp Angel" · "Swamp Robin" · "American Nightingale"
Hooded Warbler
"Hoodie" · "Black-hooded Yellow"
Indigo Bunting
"Blue Canary" · "Indigo Bird"
Kentucky Warbler
"Kentucky" · "KEWA (birder abbreviation)"
Killdeer
"Killdee" · "Chattering Plover" · "Noisy Plover"
Least Bittern
"Small Bittern" · "Marsh Hen (folk)"
Louisiana Waterthrush
"LOWA (birder abbreviation)" · "Water-walker" · "Stream Warbler"
Magnolia Warbler
"Maggie" · "Black-and-yellow Warbler (historical)"
Mississippi Kite
"Grasshopper Hawk" · "Blue Darter" · "Mosquito Hawk"
Mourning Dove
"Turtle Dove (Southern folk name)" · "Rain Dove" · "Carolina Pigeon"
Northern Cardinal
"Redbird" · "Virginia Nightingale" · "Kentucky Cardinal"
Northern Flicker
"Yellowhammer" · "High-hole" · "Ant-eater" · "Partridge Woodpecker"
Northern Mockingbird
"Mocker" · "Mockingbird" · "Many-tongued Mimic" · "State Bird"
Northern Parula
"Parula" · "NOPA (birder abbreviation)"
Osprey
"Fish Hawk" · "Fish Eagle" · "Sea Hawk"
Ovenbird
"Teacher Bird" · "Wood Accentor" · "Oven-builder"
Pileated Woodpecker
"Lord God Bird (informal; properly the Ivory-bill)" · "Logcock" · "Woodcock (old Southern, confusingly)" · "Carpenter Bird"
Pine Warbler
"Pine" · "PIWA (birder abbreviation)"
Prairie Warbler
"Prairie" · "PRAW (birder abbreviation)"
Prothonotary Warbler
"Golden Swamp Warbler" · "Swamp Canary" · "Golden Swamp Bird"
Purple Martin
"Martin" · "House Martin (Southern)" · "Gourd Bird"
Red-bellied Woodpecker
"Zebra Woodpecker" · "Ladder-back" · "Sapsucker (incorrect but common Southern usage)"
Red-eyed Vireo
"Preacher Bird" · "Red-eye"
Red-shouldered Hawk
"Bottomland Hawk" · "Swamp Hawk" · "Rough-legged Buzzard (historical)"
Red-tailed Hawk
"Redtail" · "Chickenhawk" · "Hen Hawk" · "Buzzard Hawk"
Red-winged Blackbird
"Red-wing" · "Marsh Blackbird" · "Okreokalay (Choctaw/Chickasaw approximate)"
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
"Kinglet" · "Tiny Warbler (incorrect folk name)"
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
"Hummer" · "Ruby-throat" · "Trochilus (archaic)"
Sandhill Crane
"Crane" · "Grey Crane"
Scarlet Tanager
"Firebird (folk)" · "Black-winged Redbird"
Snow Goose
"Blue Goose (dark morph — same species)" · "White Brant (historic)"
Solitary Sandpiper
"Solitary Tattler" · "Pond Sandpiper"
Summer Tanager
"Summer Redbird" · "Beebird" · "Bee Martin"
Swainson's Warbler
"SWWA (birder abbreviation)" · "Cane Warbler"
Tennessee Warbler
"Tennessee"
Tufted Titmouse
"Peter-bird" · "Crested Titmouse"
Turkey Vulture
"Buzzard" · "TV" · "Carrion Crow (Southern folk name)"
Warbling Vireo
"WAVI (birder abbreviation)"
White-breasted Nuthatch
"Upside-down Bird" · "Devil-down-head" · "Tree Mouse"
White-eyed Vireo
"Whip-John-with-it" · "Quick-three-beers"
White-throated Sparrow
"Old Sam Peabody" · "Canada Bird" · "Poor Sam Peabody"
Wild Turkey
"Turkey" · "Eastern Wild Turkey" · "Thunder Chicken (informal)"
Wood Duck
"Woodie" · "Carolina Duck" · "Summer Duck" · "Tree Duck" · "Acorn Duck"
Wood Thrush
"Forest Flute" · "Swamp Angel (Southern — shared with Hermit Thrush)"
Worm-eating Warbler
"WEWA (birder abbreviation)" · "Dead-leaf Warbler (informal)"
Yellow Warbler
"Summer Yellowbird" · "Wild Canary (historical)"
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
"Rain Crow" · "Storm Crow" · "Rain Bird" · "Chow-chow"
Yellow-breasted Chat
"Chat" · "YBCH (birder abbreviation)"
Yellow-rumped Warbler
"Butter-butt" · "Myrtle Warbler" · "Yellow-rump"
Yellow-throated Vireo
"YTVI (birder abbreviation)" · "Three-eight bird"
Yellow-throated Warbler
"YTW" · "YTWA (birder abbreviation)"