from wikipediaLiis wrote:Some birds are "great" and some "greater" - as in great spotted woodpecker but greater flamingo.
Any explanation?
Numbers seem to be roughly equal (very unscientific look in Birdsearch engine).
A likewise unscientific look in the Virtuella floran turned up 2:1 for "greater" in plant names: greater dodder vs great pignut
The Great Spotted Woodpecker (or Greater Spotted Woodpecker), Dendrocopos major, is a bird species of the woodpecker family (Picidae).
I am going to guess the difference is based on tradition -- it may be that some regions used one form and some the other, and it depends on where a bird was found. In some cases it may be the bird is just big -- Great Blue Heron (very much like a Grey Heron) and in other cases -- Greater White Fronted Goose (about which I know nothing) it may be there is a similar and smaller goose. (Canada Goose is just that despite being very similar and larger than a Brant Goose.)
I am trying to think how I can look this up in the Oxford English Dictionary -- which I can access online with a little help -- for free (and I can always walk to the library).