Days are getting longer, trees are blooming and the sun is finally back—spring is here. The daily pollen count is steadily increasing, wreaking havoc on those of us with environmental allergies, and birds are back to squawking and tweeting away to their hearts’ content, no matter the time of day. From Northern cardinals’ vibrant chirps to black-capped chickadees’ high-pitched whistles, blue jays’ loud jeers to mourning doves’ soft coos and even Canada geese’s nasal honks to red-bellied woodpeckers’ incessant drumming, the air is alive with the calls of Cleveland’s birds.

While Cleveland is home to many resident and migratory birds, there are thousands of bird species in the world. Countless ornithologists and casual bird watchers have named them, drawing from people’s names to words in different languages. And thanks to their efforts, we have the blue-footed booby, little bustard, American bushtit, dickcissel, grey go-away-bird, European shag, common loon, sad flycatcher, Andean cock-of-the-rock, monotonous lark and Satanic nightjar—not to mention the tinkling cisticola, fluffy-backed tit-babbler, plain chachalaca and green mango. What were they thinking? Well, despite how bizarre the names sound to our modern ears, each name was derived from the bird’s calls, behaviors, appearance and cultural perceptions.

For instance, blue-footed boobies are named for their bright blue feet and foolish nature. The latter part of their name comes from the word “bobo,” which is Spanish for “foolish.” Clumsy on land and fearless of humans, the silly seabirds reside along the eastern Pacific Ocean and feast on fish, causing their colorful feet. Meanwhile, the little bustard is the smallest of the bustard family, which is known for its slow and deliberate walk. Derived from the Latin phrase “avis tarda,” bustard literally means “slow bird.” It lives in Southern Europe and Western and Central Asia, and often prefers running over flying.

The American bushtit is named for its woodland habitat and small size. “Titr,” an Old Icelandic word, means “something small.” The tiny songbird perches upon trees and shrubs across North America. Another songbird, the dickcissel, is known for its distinctive call. The name replicates the sharp introductory notes and following fast warble of its song, “dick-cissel.” Found across the Americas, the yellow-tinged bird spends its time in grasslands. Similarly, the grey go-away-bird is named for its comical alarm call. Loud and nasal, the call sounds like a sped-up “go away.” Smokey grey with a wispy crest, this bold bird lives in Southern Africa.

The same goes for the other wacky bird names and even Cleveland’s own birds. Every bird’s name has a meaningful story behind it. Interestingly, some species are being renamed—specifically, the ones named after people. Rather than having unique, detailed names, these birds honor enslavers, White supremacists and grave robbers. Who would even want to associate a confederate general with an innocent bird? Now, the American Ornithological Society is in the process of changing their names to be more descriptive, just like our silly birds.

So, the next time you see or hear a bird, consider looking it up—you never know when you might stumble upon a hilariously spot-on bird name.