The American Ornithological Society announced on Wednesday that between 70 and 80 species of birds native to North America will be renamed to address “exclusionary and harmful” ties to racists, slave owners, and other problematic historical individuals. The renaming effort comes after a two-year effort by the AOS to make birdwatching and avian conservation more “inclusive and engaging” for the general public.
The calls to rename the offending birds first began in 2020 when a White woman falsely accused a Black birdwatcher in New York City’s Central Park of assault after a dispute over her unleashed dog. The so-called “Central Park K*ren,” later identified as Amy Cooper, was arrested for “falsely reporting an incident,” but avoided criminal charges by attending racial sensitivity training.
In response to this incident (which came amid larger racial unrest following the death of George Floyd), activists within the American Ornithological Society demanded that problematic names be changed to make the field of study more friendly to birdwatchers of color.
“We have seen a lot of changes in our world in the recent past,” said AOS President-Elect Sara Morris. “We need to engage as many people as we can in the enjoyment, study, and conservation of birds as we can, and we need to break down as many barriers to participation as we can.”
According to a statement from the AOS to announce the renaming campaign, “There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today. We need a much more inclusive and engaging scientific process that focuses attention on the unique features and beauty of the birds themselves.”
The statement continued to explain that professional and amateur ornithologists have long grappled with the exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color based on the names assigned to various birds.
To remedy this exclusion, the AOS announced that birds named after any person, racist or otherwise, will be renamed to favor the creature’s physical attributes. However, the process will initially focus on changing names associated with people the Washinton Post describes as “enslavers, white supremacists and robbers of Indigenous graves.”
The affected birds include: the McKown’s longspur (named for Confederate General John P. McKown), the Townsend’s warbler (after John Kirk Townsend, who promoted racial hierarchies based on physical characteristics), the Scott’s warbler (for General Winfield Scott, who oversaw the Trail of Tears), and Bachman’s sparrow (discovered by Lutheran pastor and anti-abolitionist John Bachman).
An “open, inclusive, and scientifically rigorous” pilot project to generate community involvement in the renaming effort will begin in 2024, leading to the creation of subcommittees to focus on different regions.
“I’m sure there are going to be objections,” said society member Ken Kaufman, who is involved in the project. “I’m sure the term ‘woke’ will be used. I still don’t know what that means. I just hope they can come around to see this from the view of groups of people who may have been marginalized in the past.”
The American Ornithological Society also hopes to see similar efforts adopted by scientific groups around the world to address bird species that fall outside its jurisdiction.
“The philosophy of science is as useful to scientists as ornithology is to birds.” – Richard Feynman
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