SLATE • January 25, 2024
Last November, the American Ornithological Society, or AOS, announcedthat it would change the common names of all American birds named after people. There are 152 such “eponymic” names (that is, birds that are named after a specific person, like Bicknell’s Thrush) on the AOS’ official checklist. A growing number of ornithologists and nonscientist birders are questioning why we’re stuck with names decided on a whim hundreds of years ago, especially when the names aren’t very good. It’s going to be hard to come up with new names we can all agree on, and it’s not clear how the AOS will embark upon doing so. The group has said it will “conduct an open, inclusive, and scientifically rigorous pilot program in 2024 to develop its new approach to English bird names in the U.S. and Canada”—but there are few specifics yet, and no easy way to organize the public and whittle down suggestions in the lawless and nonsensical world of bird names. ~ Nicholas Lund