Offensive Bird Names To Be Changed In The Us And Canada

[The_DADDY]

Dozens of bird species will have their English names changed in an attempt to avoid associations with “historic bias” and exclusionary practices.

 

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) said the decision was being made “in an effort to address past wrongs and engage far more people in the enjoyment, protection, and study of birds”.

The organisation also plans to change the process by which English names are selected for bird species under its jurisdiction. The effort will begin in 2024 and will focus initially on 70–80 bird species that occur primarily within the US and Canada.

 

"There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today,” said AOS president Colleen Handel.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/offensive-bird-names-us-canada-aos-b2440066.html

 

 

Your thoughts?

[Jim Hardie]

What are the offending names?

[Mister M]

What about a c0ck?

You can't type **** on here without it being regarded as offensive 

[cressida]

Where will this all end,  we'll be losing our history if we don't make a stand against these donkey biters.

[Al Bundy]

4 minutes ago, Mister M said:

What about a c0ck?

You can't type **** on here without it being regarded as offensive 

Realised that about 15 minutes ago!!

 

😂

[cressida]

Depends on the context,  we can tell immediately if Hackey or someone is being suggestive,  but what about Penistone Road what was that named after?

[cuttsie]

13 minutes ago, cressida said:

Depends on the context,  we can tell immediately if Hackey or someone is being suggestive,  but what about Penistone Road what was that named after?

A cokc 

[cressida]

5 minutes ago, cuttsie said:

A cokc 

I knew my curiosity would get me one day,  I saw it as coke first.  Seriously I believed it was named after someone with a connection to.........................the area.

Edited November 2, 2023 by cressida

[Guest]

Jerry Coyne (emeritus professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago) has been covering this subject for quite some time.

 

He considers it to be performative ideology, particularly as the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature won't bow to pressure to change scientific names:

 

Quote

Replacing accepted scientific names because of perceived offensiveness is not, and should not be, regulated by the Code. Although the Commission recognizes that some scientific names might cause discomfort or offence to parts of the community (such as eponyms of dictators or historical figures considered by some as racists, or because a word currently has negative connotations), the commitment to a stable and universal nomenclature remains the priority. It is well outside the scope of the Commission to assess the morality of persons honoured in eponyms or the potential offensiveness or inappropriateness of certain names. ...

So, while Anophthalmus hitleri (or A. hitleri), a beetle named after Hitler, won't  be getting a new scientific name, the Gypsy Moth is now known as the Spongy Moth, though it will always be Lymantria dispar.

 

Some scientists have proposed changing the name of A. hitleri not because it can be perceived as offensive, but because it might be in danger of extinction because apparently neo-Nazis like to collect it.

 

[cressida]

Being such an old subject it's hardly offensive to the here and now,  meaning it's not personal.