Inam Al Haq’s Lifelong Effort to Create Descriptive and Locally Relevant Bengali Names for Birds
Seeing the list of bird names published in newspapers often elicited constructive feedback, though it wasn’t without criticism. One elderly man once sternly remarked, “What kind of names are you giving, like ‘Kala’ and ‘Dhola’?!” For ornithologist Inam Al Haq, a lifelong dream had been to compile a book featuring the names, images, and information about all the birds of Bangladesh. One condition, however, was paramount—the names had to be in Bengali.
In 1995, as he started writing regular features on birds for a newspaper, he noticed two major challenges: many birds had multiple local names (like the “Kanakuyo,” also known as “Kubo” or “Aira Kuiro”), while most birds had no Bengali names at all. Names assigned by Salim Ali, Bonophul, Ajay Home, and Dr. Reza Khan existed, but even combined, they covered fewer than 250 birds and posed issues, particularly when it came to understanding the bird’s family, such as the “Tila Baz,” which implied the wrong genus.
He then took on the task himself, collecting bird names from English and French sources as well as numerous regional languages. His love for collecting the names of birds and plants went back to his youth. He recalled an amusing incident in 1979 when he noted down the name of an unknown tree in Chittagong after a local told him it was “Nachin.” Only later did he learn the term simply meant “unknown” in the local dialect.
Observing naming conventions in various languages, he established guidelines: the names should be descriptive and reflect local dialects. For example, two types of crows are seen in Bangladesh: the small “Pati Kak” and the larger “Dar Kak,” with “Pati” meaning small, adding a descriptive quality to the name.
For birds with “Benghalensis” in their scientific names, he prefixed “Bangla” to emphasize their connection to the region, such as “Bangla-Shakun” (Bangla Vulture). For species named after people, he kept the names intact, while birds with “Indian” in their names became “Deshi.” Some terms had to be created from scratch; for example, “Oriental” was translated as “Udoi” (rising), representing areas east of Iran.
Inam continued working on descriptive and enduring names, drawing from body shape, color, wing patterns, and family. Previous poetic names like “Neelpari” (Blue Fairy) for a bluebird, while beautiful, often provided no real information about the bird’s family or other traits, leading them to fade from use. The Snake-Eagle and Serpent-Eagle were differentiated as “Sap-Igul” and “Nag-Igul,” respectively, giving “Tila Nag-Igul” a more accurate designation.
Naming herons posed a unique challenge. Bangladesh hosts three families of heron-like birds: egrets, herons, and bitterns. Egrets, or white herons, were named “Boga”; colored herons simply became “Bak.” The bitterns, however, posed a challenge as no suitable local term could distinguish them from other herons. During a birding trip, Dr. Abdul Mannan, head of the Zoology Department at Rajshahi University, suggested “Bogla,” inspired by a local brand of cigarettes. Thus, bitterns became “Bogla.”
As the names were published, they drew a mix of praise and criticism, including from one elder who insisted, “How can you name birds ‘Kala’ (black) and ‘Dhola’ (white)?” Inam humorously replied, “Just as in every village, there’s a ‘Kala Mia’ or ‘Dhola Mia’—names based on color aren’t unusual, yet we don’t have anyone named ‘Shada Mia’ (pure white) or ‘Kalo Mia’ (completely black) nationwide!” Similarly, Pied or black-and-white birds became “Pakra,” while spotted birds received the prefix “Dagi” (marked).
Naming owls was another challenge. Eagle Owls became “Hutom Peycha,” Scops Owls became “Neem Peycha,” and smaller owls became “Kuti Peycha.” Drongos and cuckoos required distinct names; the Drongo Cuckoo became “Finge Papia.” Raptors had diverse names: Falcons were all called “Shahin” for their swift hunting skills, while specific ones like Hobbys became “Tika Shahin” and Kestrels retained their English name. Other raptors such as Buzzards and Honey Buzzards were named “Tisa Baj” and “Madhu Baj,” respectively.
Finally, in August 2009, the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh published “Bangladesh’s Birds Knowledgebase,” featuring all local bird names, photos, and information. By 2012, most names had been incorporated into Bangladesh’s Wildlife Protection Act, and by 2015, they were included in the field guide “Bangladesh’s Birds.”
While names exist in various languages for the world’s 12,000 bird species, in Bengali, the task is ongoing. Inam Al Haq continues his mission to give Bengali names to every bird species on Earth, with the hope that one day, all birds worldwide will have Bengali names.
