What new name will the American Ornithological Society give to the regal Swainson’s Hawk? What would you name it? How about Prairie Hawk? Gopher Hawk? Pampas Hawk? (photo by Paul Konrad).

As a surprise to almost everyone, the American Ornithological Society (AOS), the governing body for all things taxonomic and scientific related to birds, has suddenly decided to change the names of 152 North American birds named after people. The AOS is the organization of bird scientists (ornithologists) that determines the official English names and Scientific (Latin) names for North America’s bird species. The re-naming effort will begin in 2024 with a subset of 70 to 80 bird species, still to be selected, that primarily range in the United States and Canada.

The AOS’s intention is to remove any association with people in bird names, alternatively choosing new names that describe species’ appearance or ecology – attributes that are also more practical and helpful for making identifications in the field. To do this, the AOS has committed to engaging the public in the renaming process and to establishing a new permanent committee to oversee the English names of North American birds. The committee will include “a diverse representation of individuals with expertise in social sciences, communications, ornithology, and taxonomy,” according to an AOS statement. Species’ scientific names, which must follow a much stricter set of rules in association with another international governing group, will not be changed at this time.

Birds named after people can be found in every section of any North American field guide, from Bullock’s Oriole to Ross’s Goose and Wilson’s Plover. Among native sparrows alone, 11 different species are named after people. Although birders use these names on a regular basis, their origins can be opaque and have often been nearly forgotten. Many species names were coined in the 18th and 19th centuries as white naturalists “discovered” new birds in regions previously held by non-white peoples, naming them after the original collectors of bird specimens, fellow scientists, prominent figures of the time, and even family members.

A small but growing contingent of birders has been aware for years that these names could be harmful or exclusionary, considering that many of the bird names honor people who are now understood to have committed racist acts or worse. Some favored changing these bird names, but the effort took on new meaning and haste during the racial reckoning that swept across the country and birding world in 2020.

Traditionally, changes to official bird names begin as proposals to the AOS’s North American Classification and Nomenclature Committee and are only accepted if there is a scientific or taxonomic justification for the change. These name changes happen occasionally; for example, the Northern Goshawk is now named called the American Goshawk. But in 2019 a concern was raised about the name of McCown’s Longspur, which was named for a Confederate general, was changed to Thick-billed Longspur in August 2020. This practice was a precursor to the new plan to change all bird names that honor historic people to ensure a more enlightened, modern methodology. Now the AOS is taking decisive action to reframe the issue of birds named after people altogether.

The AOS held a “Community Congress” on the issue in April 2021 that led to the establishment of an ad hoc committee that was charged with developing a process for re-examining other bird names. That committee’s final 32-page report was published last week to describe the American Ornithological Society’s next steps.

The process of updating bird names will continue to unfold for years to come, and it will take time to update field guides, apps, and other reference materials after new names begin to be announced. Birders, many of whom will not have been following this debate over nomenclature during the past 3 years, will need time to adjust to using unfamiliar names, and updating the new names on platforms like eBird and Birds of the World, along with the banding codes used by the United States Geological Survey will also take time.

For more information about this surprising and potentially controversial announcement, you can refer to the original article used for this Birding News report at All North American Birds Named After People Will Soon Get New Names | Audubon

You can also refer to the official statement published by the American Ornithological Society at American Ornithological Society Will Change the English Names of Bird Species Named After People - American Ornithological Society (americanornithology.org) “The AOS will conduct an open, inclusive, and scientifically rigorous pilot program in 2024 to develop its new approach to English [language] bird names in the U.S. and Canada.”