This thread rises like Dracula about once a year. The usual division of the house is approximately the following: One half goes for "SAY-BINE" like the unfortunate women in Roman legend One half goes for "sa-BEAN" like the river separating Louisiana and Texas A few pedants insist on "sabin," rhymes with "cabin" The pedants are correct, as usual. This bird was named after the Irish scientist Sir Edward Sabine by his brother Joseph Sabine. And that's the way they pronounced their name. The upside is that no matter how you pronounce it, most birders will know what you mean. Regarding the Pyrrhuloxia, I have lived in West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and everyone I met there pronounced it "peer-roo-LOX-ia." I have run into some easterners who say "pye-roo-LOX-ia," and that may even be technically correct. We need to find a pedant to settle it. Texans should not be regarded as having any special expertise in pronouncing Spanish, but even south of the border, one almost exclusively hears "pah-RAH-kay" for Pauraque. Some folks of the French persuasion say "pah-ROCK," but folks of the French persuasion have a lot of funny ideas. We haven't even gotten onto "Jacana" yet? There are at least three different pronunciation of that name. The name comes from the Portuguese and my Brazilian colleagues pronounce it "zhah-sah-nah," but almost nobody else does. Cheers, Bob -- Robert D Powell Wilmington, OH, USA [log in to unmask] http://rdp1710.wordpress.com Nulla dies sine linea ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]