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Birders tend to get their feathers ruffled when a bird gets a name change, but my favourite names – and the ones I invariably end up using – are those invented by my kids. Meet the rubbish bin crow. Or more accurately, the asblikkraai, as Owen my youngest has dubbed it.
His reference was an illustration I did for my field guide for kids, of two African sacred ibises exploring an overflowing bin on rubbish day. Of course, it’s an ibis, not a crow, which led to a lengthy explanation of bird classification. Afterwards, Owen revised his name: asblik-hadeda!
From whence the “sacred” moniker? That’s a whole other story. In Ancient Egyptian culture, these naked-headed, frazzle-butted birds were considered the earthly incarnation of Thoth, the god of wisdom and knowledge.
