Get ready to say goodbye to a lot of familiar bird names, like Anna's Hummingbird, Gambel's Quail, Lewis's Woodpecker, Bewick's Wren, Bullock's Oriole, and more.
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"That's because the American Ornithological Society has vowed to change the English names of all bird species currently named after people, along with any other bird names deemed offensive or exclusionary."
"That really started to change in 2020, when police officers killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. On that same day, a white woman in Central Park called the police on black birder Christian Cooper, claiming he was threatening her.
Less than a month later, a group called Bird Names for Birds wrote to the leadership of the society, pointing out the potential problems that come with eponymous honors and demanding change.
They noted that a 2019 proposal to rename a small prairie bird that had previously been named for Confederate General John P. McCown had been rejected.
In 2021, the society officially gave that bird the name "Thick-billed Longspur," after amending its naming guidelines to explicitly consider social justice reasons, says Handel.
"Because of those associations with racism and slavery, it was decided that this name needed to be changed," she explains"
***
"That's because the American Ornithological Society has vowed to change the English names of all bird species currently named after people, along with any other bird names deemed offensive or exclusionary."
"That really started to change in 2020, when police officers killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. On that same day, a white woman in Central Park called the police on black birder Christian Cooper, claiming he was threatening her.
Less than a month later, a group called Bird Names for Birds wrote to the leadership of the society, pointing out the potential problems that come with eponymous honors and demanding change.
They noted that a 2019 proposal to rename a small prairie bird that had previously been named for Confederate General John P. McCown had been rejected.
In 2021, the society officially gave that bird the name "Thick-billed Longspur," after amending its naming guidelines to explicitly consider social justice reasons, says Handel.
"Because of those associations with racism and slavery, it was decided that this name needed to be changed," she explains"
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How can anyone be so petty as to be offended by the name of a freakin bird?! Unfortunately one of the biggest problems isn’t the crazy people who demand all this change because they’re always offended, it the spineless cowards in leadership that won’t stand up and put the fringe minorities in their place.
