When my kids were tiny, we bought them a bird book. One of those books where the kid can press a button and hear what the pictured bird sounds like. Our kids were captivated by the bird calls these buttons summoned forth, especially the ones they recognized from the neighbourhood.
For my part, I wasn’t captivated so much by the bird songs, but by another bit of information the book gave: the birds’ scientific names. You know; those Latin- or Greek-derived names meant to standardize animal names across the world.
I couldn’t get over how ridiculous some of them were. How can I concentrate on reading to my kids when I find out that the bird I’ve been calling a Robin all these years is discussed in scientific circles as Turdus Migratorius? How about the Great Horned Owl, officially known by the considerably less-cool name Bubo Virginianus?
And it turns out that the book wasn’t just picking the weirdest ones, either. There seem to be more birds with wacky names than with normal ones. A crane called Bugeranus. A Finch called Poospiza Hypochondria. And, as if trying to outdo the Robin, a Thrush known to scientists as Turdus Maximus.
However, there is one bird whose name isn’t simply giggle fuel for adolescent boys: the Great Blue Heron. The most majestic member of the Heron family, its scientific name is Ardea Herodius. The first part is the Latin name for Heron, and the second part is Greek for…Heron. That’s correct: the Heron Heron.
It is truly the Heron to end all Herons. And I’m guessing that William French is a fan.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Every other bar, there’s an extra kick drum thrown in between beats one and two. It makes me think of those big wing-flaps that birds with particularly impressive wingspans will do every so often, just to show off.
2. At 2:11, everything gets very still for a moment, like a heron standing mid-river waiting for a fish.
3. At 2:46, a new chord structure comes in, striding along like a heron at a stately one-chord-per-bar pace.
Recommended listening activity:
Measuring your wingspan.