Dovekie

Alle alle

Its scientific name, Alle alle, is a mix-up: alle was a Sami word for the Long-tailed Duck, imitating that duck's call, and Linnaeus seems to have confused the two birds. 'Dovekie' means 'little little dove,' with two endings that both mean 'little.'

'Dovekie' is Scots: dove plus -kie, a doubled 'little' ending. It was first a name for the Black Guillemot, said to come from the dove-like bond between nesting pairs. In Europe it's the Little Auk.