Chullin 63b

The Talmud assumes a Torah scholar might not be able to identify particular species of birds:

חולין סג: (ש"ס ווילנא); ז"ל

א"ר יצחק עוף טהור נאכל במסורת נאמן הצייד לומר עוף זה טהור מסר לי רבי א"ר יוחנן והוא שבקי בהן ובשמותיהן בעי ר' זירא רבו חכם או רבו צייד ת"ש דא"ר יוחנן והוא שבקי בהן ובשמותיהן אי אמרת בשלמא רבו צייד שפיר אלא אי אמרת רבו חכם בשלמא שמייהו גמיר להו אלא אינהו מי ידע להו אלא לאו ש"מ רבו צייד ש"מ: עכ"ל

R. Isaac said, For the eating of clean birds we rely upon tradition. A hunter is believed when he says, ‘My master transmitted to me that this bird is clean’. R. Johanan added, Provided he was familiar with birds and their nomenclature. R. Zera enquired, Does ‘master’ mean a master in learning or in hunting? – Come and hear, for R. Johanan added, ‘Provided he was familiar with birds and their nomenclature’. Now if it means a master in hunting it is well, but if it means a master in learning, I grant you that he would have learnt their nomenclature, but would he actually know them [so as to recognize them]? You must therefore say it means a master in hunting; this is proved.

[translation by Eli Cashdan in The Babylonian Talmud, Rabbi Dr. I. Epstein, ed., Seder Kodashim Vol. III (Hullin I), London: Soncino, 1948]

(Reference from Rabbi Gil Student, “The Approach of the Talmudic Sages to Science,” available at http://www.aishdas.org/toratemet/en_method.html.)