A beautiful bird with a weird name
By dragon54u
@dragon54u (31636)
United States
January 11, 2010 4:12pm CST
Here is a picture of my hairy woodpecker! I have no idea why they call it that, he has feathers instead of hair. But he's a very pretty bird and visits the suet feeder every day. That makes 2 kinds of woodpeckers I've identified this year and there is a third one but I haven't discovered what he is called yet.
Do you have any idea why this would be called a "hairy" woodpecker? The name is rather laughable. 
4 people like this
5 responses
@oscarbartoni (2581)
• United States
13 Jan 10
Another bird that is misnamed is the Bald eagle, it has a full head of feathers. I could see if the named a buzzard bald but not the eagle.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
13 Jan 10
I can kind of understand the "bald" in eagle--to someone without binoculars it might look as if it is bald. But any idiot who has spent time outside like birdwatchers (and namers) knows that birds aren't bald.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
13 Jan 10
oh thats beautiful. are those his colors? i always thought they all had the red knot on their heads. guess im wrong. i've only seen 3 or 4 real ones in my lifetime. he does look kind of like he has fuzzy marks looking like hair @oscarbartoni (2581)
• United States
12 Jan 10
The person that named it probably was drunk when they named it and thought that it had hair instead of feathers.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
12 Jan 10
LOL! That's as good an answer as any, because I don't understand half the names they give birds. He certainly is pretty, if not hairy!
That's as good an answer as any, because I don't understand half the names they give birds. He certainly is pretty, if not hairy!
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
12 Jan 10
That could be. It could also be, like the person before you said, that the watcher was drunk when he named it!
1 person likes this
@nautilus33 (1827)
•
11 Jan 10
Hi! The most birds become their names because of some mark on their body or head, and I don't know why your bird is called so. You better check it good for some special marks!
