The Australian National Dictionary Centre calls for Australian flora and fauna slang

Bin chickens, mozzies, chooks and salties are said just as commonly as ibis, mosquito, chicken and crocodile. But have you heard of dunny budgies? A butchy boy? Or perhaps a bushman's clock?

Many classic Australian colloquial names are in the dictionary already, but the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC) at ANU is looking for new contributions, with a focus on plants and animals.

Senior research at ANDC Mark Gwynn said anything can be submitted, so long as it has been spoken before.

"They could be names you don't often hear other people use, or names you knew as a child," he said.

"They could also be specific to a particular place, for instance the willy wagtail is often called the djitty djitty in Western Australia."

Examples given include more common slang including the gladdy for gladioli, or wedgie for wedge-tailed eagles.

However, things closer to flying cane toads for the Indian myna bird are also wanted for submission.

"Australians are well known for their use of colloquialisms and slang, and this certainly extends into the natural environment," Mr Gwynn said.

"From the terrifying saltwater crocodile undergoing the classic Aussie abbreviation with -y suffix to become saltie, to the tiny harmless woodlouse being called the slater or butchy boy, there's probably not too many creatures that have missed out on a nickname.

"We would love to add more of these colloquialisms to our record of Australian English. People might be surprised that some of these types of informal naming are quite widespread and in some cases, quite old."

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The ANDC asks for contributions from the public for the Australian National Dictionary every year to build on the publications collection of words, from a historical perspective too.

"We look forward to seeing some new contributions, but we're also interested in finding out if some of the older colloquialisms are still out there," Mr Gwynn said.

"Are people still calling blowflies dunny budgies, and when was the last time you heard someone say they were having underground mutton for dinner?"

The Australian National University said interested people can share their fauna and flora words via the ANDC Word Box feature or through the ANDC contact page.

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