I know I shouldn’t feel gleeful about this, but a birding controversy is back. An effort to rename more than 100 birds is making national news again.
A year ago, the American Ornithological Society announced a plan to rename birds currently named for people. It’s a controversial idea that’s been floating around for years. Many birds bear the names of famous and infamous historical figures. The practice of honoring people by putting their names on critters was common 200 years ago.
Today, these customs are considered anachronistic and are seldom practiced. Besides, there aren’t that many new creatures being discovered in North America. At least not sexy ones.
Nobody really craves having their name attached to a newly identified roundworm. In fact, if there are any research biologists out there thinking about naming something “Duchesne’s Intestinal Parasite,” please don’t.
A year has passed, during which committees have been working to figure out a methodology. Nothing has happened to quell the arguments, either for and against.
The strongest argument in favor of change has been that some of the historical figures were enslavers, insurrectionists or otherwise disreputable. Opponents observe that some honorees were also conservation heroes. Not all names are intrinsically bad.
Ultimately, the ornithological society decided not to wade into the question of who was deserving and who wasn’t.
It adopted the view that naming birds after people was just a bad idea in general, doing nothing to describe the species in any helpful way. It proposed to change the nomenclature of all birds named after people. Some bird names are considered repugnant for other reasons, and these would be changed, too.
Opponents fought back. More than 6,000 people signed a petition asking the society to make case-by-case determinations, rather than blanket changes.
There is precedent. Four years ago, McCown’s Longspur, named to honor a Confederate general, was renamed the Thick-billed Longspur. In 2000, the society adopted the species name used in Europe and Asia, Long-tailed Duck, to replace an offensive term for indigenous women.
Fast forward one year. The ornithological society held its annual convention last week, and many of its members advocated a slowdown on renaming.
They suggested a pilot program to rename the most offensively titled birds, then pause until there was more study and consensus before continuing. Thus, the initial effort involves renaming only six species.
Two of the “bad” species were named after John Kirk Townsend. He was a noted naturalist and collector in the 19th century. Unfortunately, some of the things he collected were the skulls of indigenous people, by robbing their graves.
Most would agree that the names Townsend’s warbler and Townsend’s solitaire are ripe for reconsideration.
Bachman’s Sparrow was named after the Rev. John Bachman, an enslaver and avowed white supremacist.
Scott’s Oriole was named after Gen. Winfield Scott. Although he was a distinguished American military commander and the top Union general at the start of the American Civil War, he also ordered and organized the ethnic cleansing of indigenous tribes in the southeast.
Scott led the troops that forcibly relocated and escorted 60,000 people from their ancestral homelands to “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma. Thousands died along the Trail of Tears.
One bird could get its indigenous name back. The Maui parrotbill may revert to its original Hawaiian name, Kiwikiu. Better do it now, before it’s too late. The species is close to extinction.
The Inca dove will be renamed, since it does not exist anywhere in what was once the Inca Empire. This species was named by a French ornithologist who knew his birds, but apparently couldn’t distinguish between the Incas in South America, and the Aztecs in Mexico and Central America. Whoops.
Speaking of whoops, I have long aspired to change inaccurate geographical names. Cape May, Nashville and Tennessee warblers are birds that breed in Maine, but not in Cape May, Nashville or Tennessee. You won’t find a Connecticut warbler in Connecticut either, unless it is really lost.
I’ve never been a fan of calling robins “American,” since they are equally common in Canada. Likewise, Canada jays and Canada warblers are all over the North Maine Woods. And so are Canada geese.
That’s why I’m somewhat amused by this whole renaming controversy. It’s not going to be easy. Arguments will be endless. It’s going to make good theater. Personally, I plan to pop some corn, sit on the couch, and watch the debate.
No matter how messy it gets, it’ll still be easier than watching this year’s New England Patriots.
