Jobs & Behaviors
Part VI in a VI part series
Jobs & Behaviors
This is it! The last installment in my series covering the etymology of scientific names. At least for now. Who knows what the future will hold?! I hope you found this series helpful and now feel more confident wading into the world of scientific names. When I encountered my first scientiic name, Peromyscus maniculatus, it seemed an impenetrable thicket of Latiny gibberish. It took forever to commit that first name to memory. But once I started translating scientific names and I started to see repetition and patterns and familiar roots, it all started to make sense. My second latin name, Peromyscus leucopus, was a cinch to memorize. Digging into the etymology of these terms has also helped me understand the way in which other naturalists have sought meaning, order, and understanding in the endless variability of the wild world.
Rood words for behaviors
Each species interacts with the world around it, barking, swimming, swooping, chomping, and singing their way through life. Taxonomists have memorialized some of these behaviors in taxonomic names.
| Actions/Behaviors | Root words found in scientific names | Examples |
|---|---|---|
|
Wandering Migratory |
ectopistes (G) peregrinus (L) vagrans (L) migratorius (L) |
Passenger pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus Silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans American robin, Turdus migratorius |
|
Fast Nimble |
tachy (G) agilis (L) thourus (G) |
Tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor Connecticut warbler, Oporornis agilis Marsh wren, Cistothorus palustris |
| Suck | myzo (G) | Sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus |
| Run | dramos (G) tachy (G) |
Henslow’s sparrow, Ammodramus henslowii |
| Fly | volan (L) | Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans |
| Swim Dive |
nectris/nectos (G) aithyi (G) |
Mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris |
| Figh | pugnax (G) | Ruff, Calidris pugnax |
| Creep | herpes (G) | Red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus |
| Dance | choro (G) | Common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor |
| Digging | fossor (L) | Northern brook lamprey, Ichthyomyzon fossor |
| Carry Grasp |
phero (L) accipere (L) |
Clark’s grebe, Aechmophorus clarkii Sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter striatus |
| Irritate | erethizon (G) | North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum |
Rood words for sounds
| Behavior | Root words found in the scientific name | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Sing | molodi (G) | Song sparrow, Melospiza melodia |
| Howl, hoot | ulula (L) | Northern hawk owl, Surnia ulula |
| Barking | latran (L) | Coyote, Canis latrans |
| Chirp | pipiens/pipilo (L) | Northern leopard frog, Lithobates pipiens Eastern towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus |
| Chattering | garrulus (L) | Bohemian waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus |
| Noisy | querulua (L) streperus (L) vociferus (L) |
Harris’s sparrow, Zonotrichia querula Gadwall, Mareca strepera Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus |
| Creak, rattle | crepit (L) | Clapper rail, Rallus crepitans |
| Military trumpet | buccina (L) | Trumpeter swan, Cygnus buccinator |
Rood words for eating
| Eating | Root words found in the scientific name | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Loving | philos (G) | Spring salamander, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus |
| Eat
Eater |
phago (G) vora (L) estes (L) |
Yellow-rumped warbler, Setophaga coronata Worm-eating warbler, Helmitheros vermivorum Townsend’s solitaire, Myadestes townsendi |
| Biting | mordax (L) | Rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax |
| Strain, filter | etheo (G) | Fantail darter, Etheostoma flabellare |
| Break | thrauso (G) fraga (L) |
Evening grosbeak, Coccothraustes vespertinus Fish crow, Corvus ossifragus |
| Chisel, peck | colapto (G) copos (G) |
Northern flicker, Colaptes auratus Pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus |
Rood words for royalty
| Royalty | Root words found in the scientific name | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Ruler | archos (G) | Great crested flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus |
| Queen | anassa (G) | Yellow-crowned night-heron, Nyctanassa violacea |
| King | regi (L) | Golden-crowned kinglet, Regulus satrapa (satrapa is a Persian governor) |
| Tyrant | tyrannus (G) | Eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus |
| Cheat, impostor | phenax (G) | Snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis |
