Do you think techies have a lock on weird words? Think again. Wildlife enthusiasts have a lingo all their own. We鈥檝e picked just a few words that might puzzle you on first meeting.
Decoding them may give you a chuckle 鈥� and perhaps deepen the pleasure you take from observing the natural world.
Welcome to nature鈥檚 nerdy side. Go easy on dropping these words into daily conversation.
Crepuscular (from the Latin 鈥渃repusculum鈥� for twilight). Active at dawn and dusk.
Crepuscular animals 鈥� such as rabbits and deer 鈥� wait for dawn or dusk to go about their business. Some creatures adopt crepuscular habits to hunt, evade predators or avoid midday heat. True word nerds divide crepuscular animals into two subtypes: matutinal (morning) and vespertine (evening).
Animals that are not crepuscular tend to display diurnal (daytime) or nocturnal (nighttime) activity.
Exoskeleton (from the Greek). A rigid outer structure structure
Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.
Learn more about structure that supports the body, especially in invertebrates (animals without backbones), such as insects, spiders and crabs.
Horseshoe crabs have exoskeletons. You knew that. How about turtles? Fooled you. Turtles may have bony shells, but their skeletons are on the inside (endoskeletons), just as ours are.
Flyway A major air route of migratory birds.
Flyways are the main avenues linking birds鈥� breeding grounds up north with their wintering areas down south. North American birds can choose one of four routes: the Pacific, Central, Mississippi or Atlantic Flyway. Some routes extend north as far as the Arctic Circle and south as far as the tip of South America.
Habitat (from the Latin 鈥渉abitare,鈥� to live). The place where a plant or animal normally lives and grows.
If you鈥檙e in your native habitat, you probably haven鈥檛 strayed far from the place you think of as home.
LBJ (birders鈥� slang). Little Brown Job.
When you hear this acronym from birders, you can bet they鈥檙e not summoning the spirit of Lyndon Baines Johnson. They鈥檙e admitting they can鈥檛 differentiate a bird they see from scores of other small nondescript brown birds. To the question, 鈥淪ee anything in that field?鈥� a birder might answer: 鈥淣ot much. Some LBJs at the far end, but I couldn't get a good look at them without a scope.鈥�
Passerine (from the Latin 鈥減asserines,鈥� meaning 鈥渙f a sparrow鈥�). Perching birds.
More than half the world鈥檚 bird species 鈥� including songbirds, sparrows and finches 鈥攁re passerines. What makes a bird a passerine is its toe arrangement. Three of its four toes face forward; the other points backward, allowing the bird to grasp tree limbs and branches.
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian (riverbank-related) corridor.
Riparian (from the Latin 鈥渞iparius鈥� for river, derived from 鈥渞ipa鈥� for bank or shore). Relating to or located on a riverbank.
Riparian areas support many species of wildlife. Animals use riverbanks for food, shelter, nesting sites and travel arteries. Riparian areas also attract tourists and boost local economies.
Rufous (from Latin 鈥渞ufus鈥�). Reddish-brown animal skin, fur or feathers
Why do we have a special word for the color red in animals, particularly birds? Go figure. The rufous hummingbird 鈥� only about 3 inches long and weighing just over a penny 鈥� flies an astounding 2,000 miles or so in its yearly migrations. Don鈥檛 wear a rufous tie to the party if you don鈥檛 want to stick out.
Ungulate (from Latin 鈥渦ngula鈥� for hoof). A large hoofed mammal, such as a deer, elk, moose or pig.
Overgrazing by wild ungulates can stress sensitive ecosystems at national wildlife refuges.
Watershed A land area that collects rain and snow and funnels it into a river, stream or groundwater.
No, a watershed is not an outhouse.