Someone asked me about the term “mudlark” today for Grallina cyanoleuca – and I confessed I wasn’t sure how common it actually was, apart from reading that it was more a Victorian and/or WA term. I recall the books having “Peewit” or “Magpie-lark” as the first or second names. I generally called it a “Peewee” as a child, and my mum still does, though sometimes use “Magpie-lark”. I have never heard anyone call it a “Peewit” but I don’t mix too much with birdwatchers in real life.
The wonders of email and discussion groups like this one is we can do an instant census (has it ever been done on this species I wonder) as to what everyone calls it by default, and where in Australia they are. I am in Sydney. So what does everyone else call it (and if you answer can you also say what part of Australia you’re in? Doesn’t have to be suburb, maybe city and “North, South East or West” is fine. I’ll tally up the responses at the end. Cheers Cas
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Comments
18 responses to “who calls Grallina cyanoleuca what…”
When I lived in Victoria in the 70’s I referred to them as Mudlarks . Have lived in Qld for many years and now call them Peewees
Jude
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
I expect ‘Peewit’ was introduced from Europe (the name, not the bird). That is a common vernacular name in Ireland and Britain for the Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus, and derives from it’s call.
Paul.
Hi all,
In Pakenham, West Gippsland (now on the se fringe of Melbourne) in the ’40s and ’50s we called them Mudlarks, as I still do in unguarded moments.
Cheers, Sue
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
In my younger, pre-birding, days in Sydney I knew them as Peewee ,but it was always spelt Peewit . No idea why. When I moved to Melbourne for a few years and got interested in birding I was surprised to find they were commonly known as Mudlarks.
I prefer the onomatopoeic “Peewee”
Cheers Roger
Another Sydney vote for Peewee – seems it’s NSW and Qld vs. Vic and SA Joshua Bergmark
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Oh Sydney you naughty boy ! How rude.
Tony
I grew up at Woolooware, near Cronulla, a southern Sydney suburb. They were always known as Peewees to locals.
Greg
Er – I meant Mudlark each time. (Mud Lark was a typo) wm
I grew up in Geelong (s Vic) and moved to n sub Melb. I always knew them as Mudlarks. I always had a general natural history interest. Other names Magpie Lark, Peewee (never heard Peewit) turned up in books and speaking to other birders in the last few decades. I don’t have them to hand to check, but I expect the habitat based Gould League little books and posters, that I grew up with, called them Mud Lark. wendy
I grew up in gippsland and still prefer mudlark- magpie lark is my least favouite of the three common names Cheers Andrew
Sent from my cracked iPhone
On 24/05/2011, at 9:51 AM, Merrilyn Serong wrote:
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Hi Cas, I prefer Mudlark (grew up in Melbourne and still live here), but use Magpie-lark (for ‘correctness’). Cheers, Merrilyn
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Add “Murray Magpie” to that list…
Regards Shirley
Cas
From Newcastle, NSW, I’ve always called them Pewees.
Greg Little
Hi Cas
Murray Magpie was the name I grew up with and still use. I am from Riverland in SA. My wife calls it a mudlark and she grew up in Adelaide.
Gary
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
I live in the Adelaide area and before I became a birder the common name for them ( amongst non-birders ) was Murray Magpie, and sometimes Mudlark. Once I became a birder I of course realised that they had quite a few other local common names depending on the area, but that the accepted name is Magpie-lark.
Tony
Hi All, I grew up in northern NSW (inland), and everyone I knew as a kid called them Peewees, so that still my natural tendency. Not much use asking people around here, as we don’t get them in Tassie.
Cheers, John Tongue Ulverstone, Tas.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
I’m sure we’ve covered it many times. A quick google search came up with these: Murray Magpie, Magpie lark, little magpie, mudlark, peewee, peewit, pugwall, soldier, tilyabit.
I’m from Melbourne, and people seem to call them mudlarks here, but I’ve heard peewee and peewit.
Peter Shute