Native Bird Names

Forest and Bird, Issue 305, 1 August 2002, Page 3

Native Bird Names

Nelson

KERYN SQUIRES,

Isn’t it about time New Zealanders began to embrace the Maori names for native birds? Not only do they sound more interesting than their European counterparts, but they reflect the natural heritage of Aotearoa. A tui is still a tui, so why is a bellbird not korimako, a fantail not piwakawaka, a morepork ruru, and the shining cuckoo pipiwharauroa’ I refer to Gordon EIll’s article on "Native Birds in Town’ (Forest ¢ Bird, May 2002) in which all the birds were referred to by their European names. Let’s give some thought to those uniquely Pacific first-given (common) names and start calling a kereru a kereru.

Nice thought but... Forest & Bird uses the standardised common names for New Zealand birds so people can

find them in the standard references. Having been completely misunderstood in a Maori context on the East Coast, when referring to the kereru by its northern name of kukupa, the author favours the standard name in a national magazine, particularly as this bird is also sometimes known as a kuku and a parea (on the Chathams). There are many other examples of such differences in bird, animal and plant names between Maori dialects. — EDITOR.