Not too far into the ninth chapter of Jeremy Mynott’s superb new book Birdscapes: Birds in Our Imagination and Experience, I discovered a reference to a bird (one of which I had not previously heard) that may quite possibly be the bearer of the best name I have ever encountered having been applied to any of the entire Aves class; a name worthy of a Lewis Carroll’s verse (“Beware the Oleaginous Hemispingus, my son!”) or a John Cleese comic rant (“Look my good man, I’m not seeking to purchase an Oleaginous Hemispingus, I just wish to return this parrot…”). I speak of course of the Oleaginous Hemispingus, Hemispingus frontalis.
The Oleaginous Hemispingus, a smallish warbler-like bird classified in the Thraupidae (Tanagers) family, has a fairly large range that includes Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Columbia. However descriptions of its natural history are brief and when found at all are filled phrases such as “believed to be” and “not been quantified.” Indeed, despite the Oleaginous Hemispingus being “believed to be” fairly common throughout its range and a bird of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, neither the listing for it there, in BirdLife, or the Internet Bird Collection provided any more than the most basic information about it nor could any images similarly be found.
Of course, a little etymological research quickly yields a few clues as to perhaps why there is not an abounding level of interest in this particular species. “Oleaginous” carries the possible meanings of “oily,” “greasy,” or “irritatingly ingratiating.” “Hemi” is a Greek prefix meaning “half.” And “spingus?” Well, I have to admit that this word eluded definition. Yet even being left without a complete understanding of the name, what we do know suggests an oily, greasy, or irritating bird with half a spingus; certainly not a species likely to replace the Black-capped Chickadee or Blue Tit on anyone’s favorites list.
