General
Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Pinyin readings reflect standard Mandarin usage; for some dialect alternative names it may be of little practical use, especially for South China. Many Korean glosses are highly tentative. Comments and corrections welcome.
The procellarids (fulmars, shearwaters, and petrels) do not appear to have well-established traditional names in Chinese. The current system of naming applies 鹱 to the Procellariidae and 海燕 'sea swallow' to the Hydrobatidae. The word 鹱 is rare outside of modern Mainland sources.
Chinese appears to have gone through a stage of imitating English before this regularised naming system was arrived at. At an earlier stage, Chinese names, like English, divided the 'petrels' from the 'shearwaters'. According to a no-longer extant website:
- Some Chinese naturalists use 海燕 'sea swallows' for the Procellariidae. This was rejected on the grounds that 海燕 should be applied only to the Hydrobatidae.
- Some naturalists apply the term 燕鹱 'swallow shearwater' to Bulweria bulwerii.
- Some naturalists attempt to divide the Procellariinae into the ordinary 鹱 and the 剪水鹱 'water-shearing hu', corresponding to the distinction between 'petrels' and 'shearwaters' in English.
While Mainland names are now completely regularised as 鹱 , the Taiwanese use 水薙鸟 'water shearing bird' for the shearwaters and 穴鸟 'hole bird' for the petrels, terms which are unmistakably derived from Japanese, although 'water-shearing bird' may ultimately be derived from English.
Mongolian: The Mongolian name for petrels and shearwaters in general is Салхич шувуу salkhich shuvuu. The petrels are also known as Далайн хараацай dalaiŋ kharaatsai 'sea swallow'. To distinguish the Hydrobatidae from the Procellariidae, this site adopts the name Далайн хараацай dalaiŋ kharaatsai 'sea swallow' for the Hydrobatidae and Салхич шувуу salkhich shuvuu for the Procellariidae.
Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
EAST |
SOUTH | NORTH |
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| Fulmarus | ||||||||
Latin |
English | Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
Fulmarus glacialis |
Northern fulmar Fulmar | 暴风鹱 (暴風鸌) 'storm shearwater' (2, 4) 暴雪鹱 (暴雪鸌) 'blizzard (?) shearwater' (1, 3, 5) |
北方白腹穴鸟 (北方白腹穴鳥) 'northern white-bellied hole bird' |
フルマカモメ (古間鴎) furuma kamome 'Furuma gull' (Furuma is a place and personal name in Japan) |
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| Pterodroma | ||||||||
Latin |
English | Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
| Pterodroma hypoleuca |
Bonin Islands petrel Bonin petrel |
白额圆尾鹱 (白額圓尾鸌) 'white-foreheaded round-tailed shearwater' (2, 4, 5) 点额圆尾鹱 (點額圓尾鸌) 'spot-foreheaded round-tailed shearwater' (1, 3) |
(白腹穴鸟) 白腹穴鳥 'white-bellied hole bird' |
圆尾鹱 (圓尾鸌) 'round-tailed shearwater' |
シロハラミズナギドリ (白腹水薙鳥) shiro-hara mizu-nagi-dori 'white-bellied water-shearing bird' |
흰배슴새 huin-bae-seum-sae 'white-bellied-seum-bird' |
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| Pseudobulweria | ||||||||
Latin |
English | Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
| Pseudobulweria rostrata Pterodroma rostrata |
Tahiti petrel Peale's fulmar | 钩嘴圆尾鹱 (鉤嘴圓尾鸌) 'hook-billed round-tailed shearwater' |
(黑背白腹穴鸟) 黑背白腹穴鳥 'black-backed white-bellied hole bird' |
セグロシロハラミズナギドリ (背黒白腹水薙鳥) se-guro shiro-hara mizu-nagi-dori 'black-backed white-bellied water-shearing bird' |
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| Calonectris | ||||||||
Latin |
English | Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
| Calonectris leucomelas Puffinus leucomelas |
Streaked shearwater White-faced shearwater White-fronted shearwater | 白额鹱 (白額鸌) 'white-foreheaded shearwater' |
(大水薙鸟) 大水薙鳥 'large water-shearing bird' |
大灰鹱 (大灰鸌) 'large grey shearwater' (FS) |
オオミズナギドリ (大水薙鳥) ō mizu-nagi-dori 'large water-shearing bird' |
슴새 seum-sae 'seum-bird' |
Hải âu mặt trắng 'white-faced hải âu (=gull) bird' (hải âu from Chinese 海鷗 hǎi'ōu 'seagull') |
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| Puffinus | ||||||||
Latin |
English | Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
| Puffinus pacificus Puffinus pacifica |
Wedge-tailed shearwater | 曳尾鹱 (曵尾鸌) 'drag-tailed shearwater' |
(长尾水薙鸟) 長尾水薙鳥 'long-tailed water-shearing bird' |
楔尾鹱 (楔尾鸌) 'wedge-tailed shearwater' (FS) |
オナガミズナギドリ (尾長水薙鳥) o-naga mizu-nagi-dori 'long-tailed water-shearing bird' |
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| Puffinus griseus |
Sooty shearwater | 灰鹱 (灰鸌) 'grey shearwater' |
(灰水薙鸟) 灰水薙鳥 'grey water-shearing bird' |
ハイイロミズナギドリ (灰色水薙鳥) hai-iro mizu-nagi-dori 'grey water-shearing bird' |
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| Puffinus tenuirostris |
Short-tailed shearwater Slender-billed shearwater |
短尾鹱 (短尾鸌) 'short-tailed shearwater' |
(短尾水薙鸟) 短尾水薙鳥 'short-tailed water-shearing bird' |
细嘴鹱 (細嘴鸌) 'slender-billed shearwater' (FS) |
ハシボソミズナギドリ (嘴細水薙鳥) hashi-boso mizu-nagi-dori 'thin-billed water-shearing bird' |
쇠부리슴새 soe-buri-seum-sae small-billed seum-bird' |
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| Puffinus carneipes |
Flesh-footed shearwater Pale-footed shearwater |
淡足鹱 (淡足鸌) 'pale-footed shearwater' (2, 4) 肉足鹱 (肉足鸌) 'flesh-footed shearwater' (3, 5) |
(肉足水薙鸟) 肉足水薙鳥 'flesh-footed water-shearing bird' |
アカアシミズナギドリ (赤足水薙鳥) aka-ashi mizu-nagi-dori 'red-legged water-shearing bird' |
붉은발슴새 bulgeun-bal-seum-sae 'red-footed seum-bird |
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| Bulweria | ||||||||
Latin |
English | Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
| Bulweria bulwerii |
Bulwer's petrel | 褐燕鹱 (褐燕鸌) 'brown swallow shearwater' (2, 4) 纯褐鹱 (純褐鸌) 'pure brown shearwater' (1, 3, 5) |
(穴鸟) 穴鳥 'hole bird' |
燕鹱 (燕鸌) 'swallow shearwater' (6, 7) 卜威氏海燕 (卜威海燕) Mr Buwei's sea-swallow (Gee) (FS) |
アナドリ (穴鳥) ana-dori 'hole bird' |
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