Although I'm pretty bummed we can't rename some of them Gary, Henry, Mike, etc. I'd LOVE to go hunting for Gary than some stupid pheasant.
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Dozens of birds to be renamed in effort to shun racism and make science more diverse
Dozens of bird species in the United States and Canada will get "imaginative" new names that reflect their traits and habitats rather than the names of people, the American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday.The society plans to remove all human names from the common names for birds within its jurisdiction, to create a more inclusive environment for people of diverse backgrounds interested in bird-watching and ornithology. The public process, yet to be fully defined, will include 70 to 80 birds in the U.S. and Canada, the society stated.
Following years of controversy over bird names linked to people with racist and genocidal histories, the society's decision thrills ornithologists and scientists who supported a campaign to name birds for themselves.
"I'm really excited about this change," said Corina Newsome, an ornithologist who was among a group of dozens of Black outdoor enthusiasts that launched the first Black Birders Week in May 2020.
"It’s a major change in how we think about bird names," said Sushma Reddy, secretary of the society and the Breckenridge Chair of Ornithology at the University of Minnesota. "We came to the decision that we really want bird names to be about birds."
The society wants new bird-watchers hearing bird names for the first time to "feel this is a welcoming environment for people from different backgrounds and just enjoy nature for what it is," Reddy said. "Birds are for everybody. Science is for everybody."
Although the project was initiated in part "to address past wrongs" over links to historical figures known for their support of slavery or genocide of Indigenous peoples, the Society plans to remove all honorific human names. A committee that considered the recommendations noted the blanket removal would avoid potentially contentious value judgments about the character and morality of individuals from the past.
New bird names will favor more descriptive names like the blue-footed booby or red-headed woodpecker rather than nebulous names like Ross' goose or Bachman's sparrow that give no clues about how to identify the bird.
"We’re hoping to be imaginative about this," said noted naturalist and author Kenn Kaufman. "It’s a great chance to come up with beautiful and evocative ways of describing the visual appearance, song, or habitat they live in."
The committee also proposes to change names considered derogatory or culturally inappropriate for three other birds: the flesh-footed shearwater; Eskimo curlew, and Inca dove.
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