Regional names for birds

Robert Clifton

Robert Clifton

Member
I'd like to hear some regional names for ducks. I noticed Dani called out whistlers.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck - "Mexican Squealers" or just Squealers. Hang out at the golf courses
Scaup- Butterball
Mottled duck- Black Mallard or Summer Mallard
Coot- Pulldoo
Gadwall - Greys
Shoveler- Spoony, Smilin' Mallard, or Hollywood
Pintail - Sprig
 
Sprig is the same here.
Bufflehead - dipper, butterball
Widgeon - robber duck, baldpate, baldcrown
Gadwall - grey ducks
Scaup - blackheads
red breasted merg - shell duck
ruddy duck - dollar duck
 
Not sure if it is really regional but my family has always called Shovelers Neighbor Ducks. They are the ducks you clean and give to your neighbor and tell them they are Wigeons. :)
Pied-billed Grebes have always been Hell Divers.

Tim
 
Gadwall - jag (I only use that name with my hometown folks for some reason, anyone else heard of them being called that?)
Cormorant - water turkey
 
Robert~

From Long Island/New York State

Since Black Ducks are overwhelmingly the predominant puddler, most of us we really don't use nicknames for the other puddlers on any regular basis

Scaup = Broadbill on LI, = Bluebill (or just 'bills) Upstate

Goldeneye = Whistler
Bufflehead = Butterball, Buffie

RB Merg - LI = Shelldrake, Shellpecker
Common Merg - Upstate = Sawbill
Hooded Merg = Hoody

Scoters = Coot, including Pumpkinbill Coot (Common) and Skunkhead Coot (Surf)

.....oh, and NY duckhunters NEVER call Canada Geese "Canadian Geese".........

All the best,

SJS
 
Shovelers - Diggers, Boot Lips

Scaup - Do Gris

Cormorant - Water Turkey

Ibis - Flap and Glide
 
Some of the things I've heard

Ringnecks: bullnecks
Fulvous whistling duck (this is one that has more pronunciations than any I've ever heard): Faluvious, Fulvulous, Falvus, Fallopian, Fluvion
I call shovelors Shovelfaces
The BBWD I can easily see being called squealers: especially the cripples that squeal horribly when they've been shot.
Mottled Ducks: FL mallard, mallard, mottle
 
[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Shovelers - Diggers, Boot Lips

[/font][font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]I have to say that this is the best so far.
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Ring neck ducks on Lake Champlain, I've heard Ringding Dingdong Ringbill or my least favorite the marsh bluebill. Folks get this confused and try to argue with me when I shoot a six bird limit of ring necks because they think they count as scaup.

Grebes are called scooters
Buffies - Butterballs
Teal - tealkabobs or tealy poppers
some of my friends refer to blacks and mallards as big ducks or lakers
 
Ringnecks = Ringbills = Ringers
Scaup = Bluebills
Cormorant = Black Jack
Canvasbacks = Cans
Any grebe = Hell Diver
Any long necked water bird = cream chitter

I think we add "-ies" to almost everything else: Goldies, buffies, mallies, Gaddies.

Pintail, black ducks, red heads, widgeon, teal pretty much are what they are.
 
Fishduck = Hooded Merganser and sometimes is used for any Merganser.
bills or bluebills = Scaup
We also still shoot old squaw here
 
Growing up, my Father was a hardcore Duck Hunter. Unfortunately, he quit hunting for health reasons about the time I became of age. I never really got to enjoy a quality hunt with him. When he would return from a hunt, he would often talk about "Bluebills" That has always remained my favorite name for scaup and in fact-


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My other favorite-my Son coined Mergansers "Tweezer Bills" I kinda like that one.


Other than that, most of my friends around here call them what they are.


Jon
 
My SW Ontario experience is as follows:
wood ducks = woodies or woodrow
mallards = greenheads
gadwall = gray
pintail = pinnies
widgeon (wigeon) = baldpate
shovellers = spoonies or spoonbill
scaup = bluebill or broadbill
ringneck = ringer, ringbill
red-breasted merganser = lawn dart, mergie, sawbill
hooded merganser = hoodies
golden eye = whistler
bufflehead = buffie, butterball
I can probably think of more if I try
...and we sometimes shoot Canadian geese. They are the ones born here that stick around all winter.
 
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Scaup - Bluebill, Bill, or Blue
Bufflehead - Butterball
Mallard - Popcorn Duck
Merganser - Dart, Sawbill, Merg, Mergie
Canada Goose - Sky Carp
Goldeneye - Whistler
Grebe - Helldiver
 
We don't have too many special names here, but I can think of a few
Pintail-pinnies, pinner
Shoveler-spoonie, spoonbill, mud mallard
Gadwall-gaddy
Mallard-mallet, greenhead, suzie
Merganser-lawn dart, razorbill
Ringneck-ringer, ringbill
Canada-honker, B-52
 
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