hexafu

Accipitridae (also includes eagles, hawks, and kites)

• Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus -> means “white-headed sea eagle”

Haliaeetus is the Latin genus name for a group of large eagles commonly known as “sea eagles”.

The name is derived from the Greek words hali-(sea) and aetos (eagle), meaning “sea eagle“.

Leucocephalus means “white-headed” and is a term derived from the Greek words leukos (white) and kephalos (head)

In biology: The term leucocephalus is used as a specific epithet in the scientific names of many species to denote a white-headed characteristic.

Order: Falconiformes

• Bearded Vulture – Ossifrage

• Egyptian Vulture – Pharaoh’s chicken

• Griffon vulture – Gyps fulvus

The word “gyps” is derived from the Greek word for “vulture,” gups , and is used as the scientific name for a genus of vultures

Fulvus comes directly from the Latin word fulvus, which means reddish-yellow or tawny.  You can find fulvus in the scientific names of plants and animals, such as the tawny daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) or the tawny spider-orchid (Arachnorchis fulva). It can also be used in general descriptive writing to evoke a rich, earthy color

• Red-tailed hawk – Buteo jamaicensis

Buteo – a bird of prey of a group distinguished by broad wings that are used for soaring. Latin: ‘buzzard, hawk’.

“Jamaicensis” is a Latinized term meaning “from Jamaica” or “of Jamaica”. It is most commonly used in scientific names of species to indicate that the organism was first described or found on the island of Jamaica.

Anatidae (the waterfowl family – also includes geese and swans)

• Duck – Anas

• Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos

• Goose – Anserine

• Canada goose – Branta canadensis

Branta – A genus of wild geese in the family Anatidae, which includes black geese.

Branta: Latin from Anglo-Saxon bernan, brennan, meaning to burn referring to the charred dark color of this species.

Bernicla: The species name is New Latin meaning barnacle, from the legend that these birds hatched from the shells of barnacles.

Cygnus

• Black swan – Cygnus atratus

• Mute swan – Cygnus olor

• Whooping swan – Cygnus cygnus

Cathartidae

• Andean Condor – Vultur gryphus

(New world vulture)

Family: Cathartidae

• Common Buzzard – Buteo buteo

New world vulture

Family: Cathartidae

Genus: Buteo ->Buteo – a bird of prey of a group distinguished by broad wings that are used for soaring. Latin: ‘buzzard, hawk’.

Columbidae (also includes pigeons)

• Dove – Columbine

• Pigeon – Pullastrine

• Teral pigeon – Columba livia domestica

Corvidae (also includes jays, magpies, and ravens)

Genus: Corvus

• Crow/raven – Corvine

• American crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos

• Carrion crow – Corvus corone

• Common raven – Corvus corax

Hirundinidae (includes all swallows and martins)

• Barn swallow – Tyto alba

Family: Hirundinidae

Muscicapidae

• European Robin – Erithacus rubecula

Old World flycatcher

Passeriformes

Common starling – Sturnus vulgaris

Family: Sturnidae

• Common house martin – Delichon urbicum

• House sparrow – Passer domesticus

Old World sparrows

Nightingale – Philomelian

Old World thrush

Family: Turdidae

Phasianidae

• Chicken – Gallus gallus domesticus

• Hen – Gallina

Family: Phasianidae

Order: Galliformes (also includes turkeys and quail)

• Common pheasant – Phasianus colchicus

• Indian peafowl – Pavo cristatus

Cristatus is Latin for “crested“ or “tufted“ and is derived from the Latin word “crista,” which means “crest“ or “tuft“. This term is used in scientific names of species that have a crest or a tuft-like feature

• Rooster – Gallu

• Wild turkey – Meleagris gallopavo

Phoenicopteridae

• Greater flamingo – Phoenicopterus roseus

Psittaciformes

Parrot – Psittacine

Ratites (flightless birds which also includes emus, rheas, and kiwis)

• Ostrich – Struthio camelus

Spheniscidae

Penguin – Spheniscine

Emperor penguin – Aptenodytes forsteri

Galápagos penguin – Spheniscus mendiculus

Spheniscus is derived from the Greek word spheniskos, meaning “small wedge,” which itself is a diminutive of Greek word sphēn (σφήν), “wedge”. This name was given to the genus of penguins because of the shape of their wings, which are short and wedge-like, or their streamlined, wedge-shaped body. 

Strigiformes

Owl – Strigine

Barn owl – Tyto alba

Trochilidae (one of the largest bird families and is divided into two subfamilies: Phaethornithinae (hermits) and Trochilinae (trochilines or “typical” hummingbirds)

• Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Archilochus colubris

The name Archilochus is a compound of archos (“leader“) and lochos (“ambush” or “a group of armed men“). also the name of a genus of New World hummingbirds.

Colubris originating from the Spanish “colibri“” meaning hummingbird.

While it’s not a common word outside of this specific scientific and common name context, the term colubrid is a separate, widely used term that refers to a large family of snakes (Colubridae)