# collecting all "birdeater" tarantulas.



## Stoke Lad (Jan 26, 2007)

roughly how many species have birdeater thrown infront of there common name? 

I cant seem to find a list anywhere, a soon as i google "list of birdeater tarantulas" i get bombarded with T.blondi info!

I think it would make an interesting collection, and if there isn't 100s I would like to "catch em all" :lol2:

I currently have 2 birdeaters... Bahia Scarlet Bird Eater (lasiodora Klugi) and a salmon pink bird eater :flrt: 

any thoughts?


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

depends who you ask, it's only a 'pet trade name' anyway, so it could be all of the South American terrestrials or none : victory:


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## Stoke Lad (Jan 26, 2007)

ahh thats true, I feel like I need to put my efforts into collecting a certain type of T, as right now i feel like collecting them all!

do many people specialize in one sub-family of T or something like that?


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## kris74 (May 10, 2011)

I may be wrong but I'm sure I read somewhere that the first described "bird eater" was probably an avicularia species? It stated this due to the name "avi" to fly or of the wing and "cularia" as in culinary, eat, om nom nom nom etc. Anyone with more knowledge on this could be along soon to blow this out the water though. I don't remember where I picked it up but is seems reasonable.


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

kris74 said:


> I may be wrong but I'm sure I read somewhere that the first described "bird eater" was probably an avicularia species? It stated this due to the name "avi" to fly or of the wing and "cularia" as in culinary, eat, om nom nom nom etc. Anyone with more knowledge on this could be along soon to blow this out the water though. I don't remember where I picked it up but is seems reasonable.


Avicularia (Latin), small bird (avicula) + "-ary" (-arium, -aria, pertaining to)


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## RandomDan (Oct 11, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Avicularia (Latin), small bird (avicula) + "-ary" (-arium, -aria, pertaining to)


Because they are known to jump right?


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## kris74 (May 10, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> Avicularia (Latin), small bird (avicula) + "-ary" (-arium, -aria, pertaining to)


Now I'm totally tortured...!


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

i cant remember off the top of my head (pain meds kicking in) but i seem to remember it being due to the resemblance to small local Hummingbirds in appearance, much in the same way that Mygale was used for the terrestrial spiders due to their resemblance to shrews....oh the imaginations of those Victorian Naturalists! :lol2:


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## kris74 (May 10, 2011)

It says on the web that aria is cognate of air and from what I can see this might mean because they are from above and able to descend? My Latin is none existent so I'm really getting a sweat on now trying to work it out...!


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

maybe because the make little nests and live high up in the trees?


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## cobe (Nov 24, 2010)

the first explorers found a spider in the jungle of south america eating a small bird, this spider was named after looking at drawings as a Avicularia. you can use the name bird eater for any giant spider really. i collect xanthius, pamphobeteus species plus others of course. pamphobeteus sp are by far my fav species but they seem to be big bucks at the moment...


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## gambitgareth (Sep 18, 2011)

theres a bit in the intro of 'the tarantula keepers guide' (aka t bible) by schultz n schultz - who says some gal called madame merian was on an excursion and saw a t eating a bird - her report was profound at the time cos they werent known to eat birds and schultz n schultz say "this is almost surely the origin of the names birdeater and bird spider" - so the observations of a tourist - blighted t classification... also the translated word for t-man in german is vogelspinne - also taken from schultz but i also speak german, and the language also existed before schultz n schultz.


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## gambitgareth (Sep 18, 2011)

ups - cobe beat me to it


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## cobe (Nov 24, 2010)

no mate spot on but i couldnt for the life of me remember her name... we should both doff ones hats at each other


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## mattykyuss (Oct 12, 2009)

*re*

hungry tarantula ,bird falls near nest ,or web of said tarantula ,probaly going to eat it ,unless its golden eagle size ,so just collect as many t,s as you can


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

well, the hobby definition of a birdeater is a giant (6''+ span) terrestrial s. american t. so, these all count:

acanthoscurria
the larger species of grammostola
lasiodora
megaphobema
nhandu
phormictopus
pamphobeteus
theraphosa
xenesthis.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

i keep the big s. american birdeaters too- they're what have always sprung to mind when anybody's mentioned t's.


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