Hunters' Names for Ducks

Hunters have nicknames for waterfowl, which capture the distinctive sound and sight of these birds, such as “Spoonbill” for this Northern Shoveler. And why is the Northern Pintail called a “Sprig"? WNPR listener David, in Belchertown, MA, tells us that the answer can be found in Gurdon Trumbull's 1888 Names and Portraits of Birds Which Interest Our Hunters, p. 38. Trumbull says that sprig is short for sprig-tail.  In this case "sprig" means twig, as in a decorative sprig of holly or a sprig of thyme added to a soup.

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