1600: The Most Insulting Bird Name May 2, 2019
The 'dodo' was named for the Portuguese word for 'simpleton', but even this might not be the most disparaging name for a bird out there. The heron, particularly the small green heron, is known by the name 'shitepoke' in reference to how often it defecates when scared, while nesting etc.. Indeed, this name that can be applied to all herons has also gone by the name 'shiterow' which originated as a bastardization of 'shiteheron', which means that this name was not a disambiguation at all, and just was a longer, not-so-nice way of saying 'heron'. Moreover, while the term 'heron' over all is significantly older, the word 'shiterow' was also used to describe thin or feeble people.
