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Comment by resolutebat | Hacker News Reader

> also about sounds and the bird's jizz.

I'm reasonably sure that last word is not what you intended to type, but I'm stumped as to what it should be.

They mean “GISS” - General Impression, Size, and Shape. Allegedly orginated as an acronym in WWII for identifying planes but caught on in the birding world.

I’d heard the origin among borders as being a short form of “it just is”.

How can you tell that bird’s a blackbird not a starling?

Well, by its.. you know. It just is.

Actually, it is

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizz_(birding)

macOS dictionary:

    jizz¹ | dʒɪz | vulgar slang
    noun semen
    verb ejaculate
    
    jizz² | dʒɪz | noun, British informal
    (among birdwatchers and naturalists) the characteristic impression given by a particular species of animal or plant: the birds had the familiar jizz of guillemots.

I mean, could be either.

I keep forgetting that this is a field where dickcissel[1], himalayan snowcock[2], or great tit[3] are valid bird names.

[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickcissel

[2]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_snowcock

[3]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_tit

What's wrong with great tits?

https://www.printables.com/model/506540-a-great-pair-of-flex...

Fun fact, this is also where the word “jazz” originates: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_(word)

> "Jasm" derives from or is a variant of the slang term "jism" or "gism", which the Historical Dictionary of American Slang dates to 1842 and defines as "spirit; energy; spunk." "Jism" also means semen or sperm, the meaning that predominates today, making "jism" a taboo word.

Maybe rizz - bird's mating behavior :)

Well, ok, maybe not.

its a real birding term, i have heard older birders say it

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