Good Birding: Why a whole bunch of birds will be getting new names

All species of plants and animals have three types of names: scientific, official, and vernacular. In 1759 Carl Linnaeus instigated the scientific ordering of life forms by attaching a formal unique name to every species, consisting of the genus or family name followed by a descriptor. The convention has always been to use Latin or Greek names. Thus, we have Homo sapiens for Man.  Once allocated that name is inviolate and will never change. The next level of naming is the English (or other language) name that is in common usage. These names are determined by an academic body such as the AOS, American Ornithological Society, for the naming of bird species in North America. The third level of naming is the vernacular, which is usually a local or historical holdover predating the agreed official name. On the Sunshine Coast vernacular names include swamp robin for varied thrush, crane for herons and fish hawk for osprey. 

There has been ongoing discussion in birding circles about the names of the c.700 species of North American birds, and the topic has gained momentum in recent years as society grapples with the righting of historical wrongs such as slavery, sexism, racism, etc. For example, the formerly venerated John James Audubon has been scrutinized for being an enslaver, bringing a huge dilemma to the National Audubon Society. Bird species names developed ad hoc over hundreds of years. Some were vernacular names officially adopted, some were names given by the first discoverer, and others by academics and even patrons of expeditions. 

This is a huge topic, but suffice to say, the AOS, American Ornithological Society, has decided to damn the torpedoes and proceed with a wholesale re-naming of many of our common and familiar birds. I do not have the space here to elaborate, but one key principle is that ALL honorifics will be dumped whether the naming was honourable or not. Thus, locally we will receive new names for Cooper’s hawk, Steller’s jay, Swainson’s thrush, and Townsend’s warbler and solitaire. The Sunshine Coast checklist has 33 species with honorifics, so expect many changes. North America-wide the total is about 80 species. 

Having decided to dump honorifics and other inappropriate names, the new orthodoxy will attempt to come up with names that are descriptive of the species, relate to their habitat or range, or other unique features of the bird. Thus, we may see a proliferation of names such as white-throated, black-tailed, or possibly something such as hemlock warbler. 

This is only a bare outline of a huge topic. The changes will be introduced over an indeterminate period beginning in 2024. The logic is clear but adapting to Swainson’s thrush becoming medium-billed thrush (?) will be painful. 

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