In any case, I've been using the extra time indoors to read up on Hamlet and some of William Shakespeare's other works.
Once you're able to see past some of Shakespeare's difficult language and seemingly undecipherable phrases, his writing is truly outstanding. Religious texts aside, Shakespeare's works may be some of the most influential literature of all time. Cultures from around the world have adapted versions of Shakespeare's plays. A suprising number of nuances that we use in our everyday language come from Shakespeare. The theme of "star-crossed lovers", which Shakespeare used for Romeo and Juliet, is now the basis of almost every romance novel or movie.
Aside from brilliant plot elements and universal themes, Shakespeare's plays are filled with clever metaphors, allusions, and "pop-culture references" for his time.
Among the various things Shakespeare refers to, birds definitely seem to be a favorite subject of his. Not only does he refer to the generic birds like "dove" or "eagle", but he actually mentions over 45 species throughout his works. Most are common British species, such as blackbirds, robins, skylarks, but among these, there are definitely some obscure ones.
-In King Lear, there's mention of Choughs and Jackdaws- which are both relatives of crows.
-Woodcocks are mentioned in a number of plays. These plump, supposedly delectable birds dwell on the forest floor, and due to their habit of freezing rather than flying from danger, they are particularly easy to catch. Indeed, I've seen woodcocks in the wild, and nearly ended up stepping on one almost every time. If you just look at a picture of one, they appear rather silly, with huge eyes, fat bodies, and an oversized beak.
-The "Night-Raven" that Shakespeare mentions in Much Ado About Nothing is actually a Bittern- a shy, nocturnal heron that is rarely glimpsed by people.
-Lapwings are a species of plover, whose young are usually able to get up and run around within minutes of hatching. Hence, Shakespeare writes "This lapwing runs away with a shell on its head" (Hamlet).
-The Wryneck, which is mentioned in the Merchant of Venice, is a particularly odd one. The bird itself is a rare, but generally widespread relative of woodpeckers. According to Wikipedia, its Latin name, Jinx torquilla, comes from the use of this bird in medieval witchcraft.
-Tercel, estridge, and staniel are actually falconry terms, which are used to describe falcons as we would use colt, foal, mare, or stallion to describe a horse.
-I particularly enjoy the birds known as wagtails, and nearly laughed out loud after reading "Spare my grey beard, you wagtail!" from King Lear.
-And of course, there's the European Cuckoo, which not only mocks married men with its call, but also lays eggs in the nests of other birds (forcing them to care for its monstrous, oversized young).
Although you may think these mentions of birds are nothing more than little flowery details, they contribute a great deal to Shakespeare's plots, and moreover, the modern world. In the late 1800's, a Shakespeare fanatic named Eugene Schieffelin decided to bring every bird mentioned by Shakespeare into New York City. After bringing finches, larks, and nightengales overseas and unsuccessfully trying to introduce them, Eugene released 60 European starlings into Central Park, thinking that they'd make great music and pest control. Unfortunately for us, starlings quickly spread across the continent, and now number in the hundreds of millions. Along with pigeons and house sparrows, they are considered an invasive species in North America, and have been shown to displace native cavity nesters such as woodpeckers and bluebirds.
