Thanks, alexsms, for the thought on the jackdaw. It's in the crow/raven family and is known for its interesting eyes. Perfect for my female character, as she is a filmmaker, to whom eyes are all-important. Galochka sounds little clunky in English, but I can live with that.

The story is set in the USA and the woman does not speak Russian, so connotation will be important only for the Russian boyfriend, who gives her the nickname. So if it's a nickname he could reasonably use, it will work. Thanks again for this thought. I shudder that he could have called her "little funnel."