Why are American birds being renamed? Names explored amid racism crackdown 

The American Ornithological Society announced on Wednesday that they plan to change the English name of several species of birds in the U.S. and Canada. The organization shared that they have decided to do so as certain monikers are “deemed offensive and exclusionary.” The initiative is to begin next year with a committee changing the names of up to 80 species.

The American Ornithological Society has been overseeing the English-language names of several fowls since 1886. On Wednesday, they announced that they would do away with the names derived from a person’s name and instead identify the species by their physical traits or their habitats.

Judith Scarl, the Executive Director and the CEO of AOS said in a statement:

“As scientists, we work to eliminate bias in science. But there has been historic bias in how birds are named, and who might have a bird named in their honor. Exclusionary naming convention developed in the 1800s, clouded by racism and misogyny, don’t work for us today, and the time has come for us to transform this process and redirect the focus to the birds, where it belongs.”

The AOS took the decision to have the names changed after receiving mounting pressure from the bird-watching community. Many were unimpressed by the recognition of racist historical figures. The AOS is likely to take “months and years” to complete the project as the names of up to 260 birds across America and its islands must be reviewed.

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Some racist names of birds that are going to be up for change

It seems like the AOS has already started the process. The Audubon’s shearwater, a bird native to the southeastern United States, is no longer going to be linked to John James Audubon, who is infamously known for being a slaveowner who opposed abolition and is the founder of the New York City birding community. According to The Post, its new name is set to reflect its coastal habitat and its unique rounded wings.

The society also renamed a bird that is now called the Long-tailed Duck due to its previous name being derogatory.

In 2019, a proposal to rename a prairie bird was also brought forward due to its name being linked to Confederate General John P. McCown. The motion was initially rejected. However, in 2021, the society gave the small bird the name- “Thick-billed Longspur.”

The Newser revealed that several other birds, including Anna’s Hummingbird, Lewis’ Woodpecker and Bewick’s Wren will be given new names next year.

The Bird Names For Birds organization played a key role in the AOS making the decision to change the name of the fowls. In 2020, the former wrote a petition requesting for offensive names to be changed.

According to Erica Nol, a biologist at Trent University, Canada, a diverse group of ten experts were selected to consider sending a petition to the AOS.

Kenn Kaufman, a prominent figure in bird field guides, expressed some concern about the AOS’ decision to change the name of several fowls. He stated that the bird-by-bird approach would lead to divisive debates about the historical individuals and their merits.

However, he eventually came to the conclusion that naming the animals by their niche characteristics or habitats would make it easy to identify the birds.