Bart Bailey wrote:

On Sat, 12 Apr 2003 17:59:39 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

But is your yellowhammer the same species as ours? Our yellowhammer is a
bunting - a little round sparrow sized song bird. the USA one looks more
like a woodpecker.

You are correct, they only share a common name, but are different birds.


Yours: Emberiza citrinella
http://www.birdguides.com/html/vidli...004a001_j2.jpg
Ours: Colaptes auratus
http://www.archives.state.al.us/images/stbird.jpg

I guess that bit of enlightenment nullifies my suggestion for the bird
song player, unless there is a similar device with a UK database.
My embarrassment is only offset by the warmth of a nugget of fresh
knowledge g

sbt

Our yellow hammer sings 'a little bit of bread and no cheese'

Bart

Other North American/European species with the same/similar common names
refering to different species include:
Robin (obviously different)
Goldfinch (obviously different)
Jay (obviously different)
Sparrows (obviously(?) different)
Blackbird (obviously different)
Oriole (look similar but different species)
Bittern (look similar but different species)

And then there are the same/related species with very different common
names:
Loon = Diver
Boobies = Gannet (but the European Gannet is known as the Northern
Gannet on East Coast of US)
Nighthawks = Nightjars
Chickadee = Tit
Kinglet = Goldcrest/Firecrest

And the the same species with similar names:
Horned Grebe = Slavonian Grebe
Eared Grebe = Black-knecked Grebe

Interestingly, my guide for North American birds gives the common name
of Colaptes auratus as Common Flicker and when living in California, I
never heard or read of this species being refered to as anything other
than a flicker. There are three races of flicker in North America - east
of the Rockies, the underwing is yellow, west of the Rockies, it is red
except for a population in the SW which goes back to a yellow underwing.

Note also, scientific names while generally better than common names for
identifying a species cannot always be relied on as there is often
disagreement and changes of view between ornithologists. The Common
Flicker, Colaptes auratus, was previously been considered as three
separate species but is now a single species with three distinct
populations.
--
Larry Stoter