Oenanthe oenanthe

The Northern Wheatear’s scientific name is Oenanthe oenanthe. It means ‘Flower of the Vine’ in Ancient Greek.

Its binomial name is a lot simpler than the descriptive name Linnaeus gave it originally, which was “Motacilla dorso cano, fronte alba, oculorum fascia nigra”. Personally I prefer its Anglo Saxon name, which is White Arse.