Due to the way language changes and evolves over time, some names that were once perfectly normal are now pretty silly. Like a man with the name Dick, we can’t help but fight back a smirk when we hear it.
In the bird world, that hilarity is most common with the old habit of calling small, chattery birds “tits.” (Go on, giggle. I’ll wait.)
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I’ll admit to having some fun with that naming convention right here in my animal feature articles, but I promise that this particular fit of giggles is unrelated to the poor titmice.
Meet the Willy Wagtail.
Yep. That’s this species’ name, though sometimes it is spelled “Willie.” Which doesn’t solve the silliness problem.
It’s just so cute and yet such a strange name for a bird species.
They are named as such because they do sort of wag their tails.
I would argue that they are wagging their whole butt side to side, but one of my dogs also wags his tail with an entire butt motion, so what do I know?
Besides their silly name, these little birds have very distinctive coloring.
Their backs and tails are black as well as a patch on their snowy white chest.
Then, of course, they have those white “eyebrows” that make them look seriously unimpressed with how funny you find their name.
Willy Wagtails are common throughout much of Australia and Southeastern Asia, and are easily seen in urban areas.
Though they are territorial with other bird species, they are considered quite friendly with humans.
It’s not uncommon for one to hop right up close to a human or even perch on someone to get a better vantage point for hunting insects to munch on.
h/t: Backyard Buddies , Aves Noir
