Learning things in books
You will remember that I have a theory that the majority of Spaniards classify birds into just three types : 1: Pajaros are biggish birds like blackbirds and pigeons. Pajaro in English translates as bird. 2: Pajaritos are smallish robin or sparrow sized birds. This is just the word pajaro with the termination -ito which is used for diminutives. An English example might be book and booklet or pig and piglet where the -let suggests something smaller. 3: Pato is used for birds with webbed feet, swimming birds like geese and swans. Pato translates directly as duck. On more than one occasion I have asked a Spaniard to identify a bird, for instance, what I now know is a hoopoe or, maybe, I describe a magpie and and ask for the Spanish word for such a bird. The answer to both questions is pajaro. I find this amusing. Obviously my observation is partially true at best; there are lots of Spaniards who know birds. However, I have never been one to let the truth get in the way of a goo...