Eastern Phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

It says its own name, a raspy 'FEE-bee,' and was first written 'phebe.' The fancier spelling arrived in 1839, borrowed from the woman's name. Its scientific name, Sayornis phoebe, means 'Say's bird,' for the early American naturalist Thomas Say, and then repeats that word.

Sayornis honors naturalist Thomas Say + Greek ornis 'bird'; phoebe echoes the call. The woman's name that changed its spelling comes from Greek phoibos, 'bright,' and was a title of the moon goddess Artemis. Apollo's title, Phoebus, is the same word.