They Called It Macaroni

Birdorable Macaroni Penguins

    Yankee Doodle went to town
    A-riding on a pony,
    Stuck a feather in his cap
    And called it macaroni.

American fans may recognize these lyrics from the song "Yankee Doodle", a popular tune dating back to the American Revolution. The above stanza, used in later versions of the song and still sung today, refers to a fashion style popularized in the early 19th century: maccaronism. This referred to a fashion style adopted by young men who wore flamboyant clothing with unique and bold ornamentation. Does this remind you of any birds you know?

The Macaroni Penguin was first named for science at a time when macaronis were deeply embedded in popular culture. The flamboyant yellow head feathers found on this dapper little black and white penguin gave the species its common name.

Cute Macaroni Penguin Gifts

Comments

Be the first to comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published

By popular demand - the Common Loon

We have added the Common Loon (a.k.a. Great Northern Diver) to Birdorable, which has recently been one of the most requested birds. These amazing birds with a wingspan of up to 5 feet can dive as deep as 200 feet when hunting for fish. They breed in...

Vultures, vultures, vultures!

Saturday, September 1st, will mark the fourth annual International Vulture Awareness Day, a celebration of the world's vulture species. We're marking the day by unveiling over a dozen brand new Birdorable vulture species - to complete our set of all of the world's vultures. We'll highlight the...

2013 Bonanza Bird #22: Blue-winged Warbler

Happy Monday! Our 2013 Birdorable Bonanza continues today with our new bird, the Blue-winged Warbler. The Blue-winged Warbler is a lovely species of New World warbler that breeds across a range in eastern North America. They are migratory; winters are spent in...

Warbler Week: Four New Birdorable Warblers

We're celebrating warblers this week on the Birdorable blog! We're starting off this Warbler Week with the introduction of four new Birdorable warblers! The Mourning Warbler is a small warbler with a chunky appearance. They can be recognized by their grey heads, olive...