scientific and vernacular name ofa genus of small warblers of Australia and New Zealand; the newname for them is Fly-eater (q.v.). In New Zealand theyare called Bush-warblers, Grey-warblers, etc.,and they also go there by their Maori name of Riro-riro.For the species, see Fly-eater and Warbler. Thename is from the Greek gerugonae, «born of sound,» a wordused by Theocritus.
1895. W. O. Legge, `Australasian Association for theAdvancement of Science' (Brisbane), p. 447:
«[The habits and habitats of the genus] Gerygonesuggested the term Fly – eater, as distinguished fromFly – catcher, for this aberrant and peculiarlyAustralasian form of small Fly-catchers, which not only capturetheir food somewhat after the manner of Fly-catchers, but alsoseek for it arboreally.»