bird names

[informashun]

why is a female wren called jenny, have done a google without success.
seem to recall something from literature.
many thanks

[Quizmonster]

'Jenny' - being a human female name - has been used for the female versions of various creatures, especially owls, for the past four centuries. The earliest recorded use of it for the wren appeared in the late 19th century. This probably came about because of the 'Jen/wren' rhyme and it seems to have stuck to just that one type of bird ever since.

[Thunderbird+]

This is a good question and one I've often pondered myself, especially at this time of the year when the mother can be seen hurrying back and forth with beaks full of grubs to feed their young.
My theory is, and it's just a shot in the dark, is that the name jenny or in full 'Jennifer' is also the name of a small and attractive, slender tree, the juniper. These words can be heared in the lyrics together in the old folk song by Donovan ("Jennifer Juniper")
The male and female wren look virtually identical to human eyes and I think a bird busily seen feeding it's young is a fair assumption that it's a female.
Two other small trees that I can think of that have names also used as a female name are Holly and Hazel.

[Quizmonster]

Well, centuries ago, a female donkey was called a jenny-ass and a young female owl was called a jenny-howlet. In old nursery-rhymes, Jenny Wren was thought of as the wife of Robin Redbreast, which makes the human-name connection pretty clear. To be honest, I can't see any connection between donkeys and trees or any species-specific connection between trees and wrens rather than any other bird.
The human name, Jennifer, is a Cornish version of Guinevere meaning 'fair' or 'soft' in old Welsh.