Many of our most familiar birds are named after people or places, sometimes after their sound or appearance, or perhaps after their quirky little habits. But sometimes a little more detective work is required to find the deeper meanings and stories behind the names.
THE PENGUIN was originally a name for the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), it’s the genus name, a flightless diving seabird native to the north Atlantic with a black back, flipper-like wings, and a white belly.
When Europeans started exploring the southern hemisphere, they used the same name for the unrelated black and white, flightless, diving birds that lived there.
Meanwhile, the Great Auk, the original bearer of the name penguin, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century and largely forgotten.
The next time you open a jar of honey, consider the grueling days of our honeybees, and how much work has gone into making the delicious Honey. In the average worker bee’s brief lifetime of four to five weeks, She will make just one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. It takes about 60,000 bees, collectively travelling up to 88,000 kilometers and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make just 0.5 kilograms (one pound) of honey. Very busy bees indeed!
