Changing Honorific Bird Names
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
This spring and summer, in response to the police killing of George Floyd and decades of past injustices by police against people of color, we witnessed massive demonstrations for reform of policing in the United States. There was also renewed interest in removing statues honoring members of the Confederate Army and slave holders, and a number of news stories showing some of these statues being torn down by demonstrators and removed by mayors and governors. We also learned that the U. S. Army has a plan to change the names of military bases which are named in honor of members of the Confederate Army.
A BIRDING RESPONSE TO NEW AWARENESS
In the American Birding Podcast on June 18, 2020 host Nate Swick proposed a plan to address potentially harmful honorific names given to birds in previous centuries. Naming birds after people can be problematic especially “against the backdrop of present day social standards” (AOS News). In a new statement on its website, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and its Diversity and Inclusion Committee have said in part, “The AOS and its North American Classification Committee (NACC) recognize that continuing to use harmful English names in ornithology unfairly demands tolerance from already marginalized people, creating an unnecessary barrier to the field of ornithology with clear downstream effects felt at multiple levels of our ornithological community.”
In North America, the names of 142 species of birds are eponyms, that is, they are named for a person. This was sometimes done to honor a contribution to ornithology, but also to remember a friend or funder of the naming person. It is clearly an honor to have a bird named after a person. However, some birds are named for people who supported slavery, the Confederacy, or the expulsion of Native Americans. In light of present-day social standards supporters are thinking that some of these names should be changed.
PROBLEMATIC BIRD NAMES
Swick provided a number of examples of problematic eponyms. Lewis’ Woodpecker is named for Meriwether Lewis, who owned slaves on his inherited plantation. Clark’s Nutcracker and Clark’s Grebe are named after Captain William Clark, who brought his Black slave York on the two-year Corps of Discovery expedition. Upon their return, York asked for his freedom in exchange for his service, but Clark refused to grant this. York had to rejoin Clark’s other slaves. McCown’s Longspur is named after John McCown, who was a prominent officer in the Confederate Army. This bird is the subject of a recent proposal for a name change.
Grave robbing for human remains was practiced in the 19th Century. Townsend’s Warbler and Townsend’s Solitaire are named for John Kirk Townsend who robbed Native American graves and took the skulls to eastern North America where they remain in museums and have not been repatriated. Bendire’s Thrasher is named for Major Charles Bendire who served in the U. S. Army and fought many battles to eradicate Native Americans from the western United States.
A bit closer to home for the Audubon Society, Audubon’s Warbler, Audubon’s Shearwater, and Audubon’s Oriole are all named after John James Audubon, who was also involved in grave robbing of human remains, some of which were cited by eugenicists in the 1800s. As Nate Swick said on the podcast, the Audubon Society may not have to change its name. Audubon has a George Washington-like status within the society, although he did not form the society. Nevertheless, he may not need three birds named after him.
NORTH AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION COMMITTEE
Changes to bird names are managed by the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and its North American Classification Committee (NACC). Last year the committee declined a request to change the name of McCown’s Longspur. However, in June 2020 the AOS published updated Guidelines for English Bird Names, which include special considerations for changes to honorific names. “The NACC will change well-established eponyms only in unusual circumstances, but these situations may occur…. the active engagement of the eponymic namesake in reprehensible events could serve as grounds for changing even long-established eponyms.” In the same statement the AOS and NCAA in a reversal will now develop and introduce for consideration a proposal for changing the name of McCown’s Longspur. They hope their proposal will serve as a model for possible future name changes.
HOW BIRDS ARE RENAMED
The AOS and NCAA already have a mechanism for considering avian name changes. It includes the need for each bird species to have a unique name. They consider the inclusion of geographic information in the form of adjectival or noun modifiers such as Jamaican Woodpecker or Canada Warbler. There are specific rules for renaming birds following taxonomic splits and lumps. For example, when the Rufous-sided Towhee was split, the two resulting species were given two new names: Eastern Towhee and Spotted Towhee. The AOS statement refers to the benefits of nomenclature stability and the need to work with other international bodies regarding common bird names. They state that name changes will require “a strongly compelling, well-researched, and balanced rationale.”
Swick mentioned additional means to rename birds. He suggested using older names, indigenous names, direct translation of Latin and Greek names, or logically useful names. There is room for creativity in the process. We are living in an era when we have more widespread understanding of the effect of past injustices on people of color, and the birding and ornithological community can become more inclusive by not honoring those who perpetrated those injustices.
Photo of McCowan’s Longspur by Melissa Hafting.