A bird named after a slave owner or grave robber? In America they think that is no longer possible

Many American bird names are named after their western discoverer. Occasionally, these names have a dubious colonial past Bachmann’s Sparrow or the Eagle of Verrox. In the US, 263 controversial bird names have now been changed.

“You can only be truly and universally famous if someone names Fuchsia after you,” Dutch comedian Herman Fingers triumphantly sang when he was given the honor. Herman Finkers fuchsia is no exception.

It is common practice that the discoverer of a species – in the case of fuchsia, the breeder – can name it. But in the U.S., the American Ornithological Society is now preempting the venerable practice. The Birdwatchers’ Association concludes that many of those named have a colonial or racist past. In total, the Society has 152 North American and 111 South American bird names.

Tomb Raider

In Belgium, birds are usually named based on their color (robin), their habitat (sedge warbler) or their sound (chiffchaff). It is different in North and South America. There, Western explorers introduced animals and plants to the world of science, often naming them after themselves, their patron or a friend.

For example, consider Bachmann’s Sparrow. Pine Bunting, as it is called in Dutch, bears the name of John Bachman, a nature-loving preacher but owner of enslaved peoples and a staunch opponent of the abolition of slavery.

Ornithologist Jules-Pierre Verreux has many birds to his name, but he is remembered for his grave robbing. In 1830, he stole the body of a recently buried Tswana warrior from present-day Botswana to examine.

And colorful

Historical facts are not new, but there is a growing backlash against the controversial names these honors are called. Additionally, birdwatchers have become more colorful. According to the four founders of Bird Names for Birds, bird watchers can no longer ignore the colonial and racist history of names. Bird names should refer to the bird, not the finder. In 2020, Concerned Birdwatchers launched a petition to publicly address “derogatory, oppressive or simply inappropriate symbols in English species names”.

The American Ornithological Society then decided to form a bird naming committee. Last Wednesday they fully accepted the committee’s advice: all names disappear. The association wants to stay away from ethical debate about how bad a namer’s actions are, so it decides to change all names to names that “call attention to the unique characteristics and beauty of the birds.”

Eskimo Curlew

In the coming years a new team will carry out this process and look at other exclusive names. The Eskimo curlew (Eskimo curlew) often changed its name because the name was insulting to the Inuit. Also from Fleshy-footed shearwaters The name change will continue. Because not every human’s skin can match the salmon-pink legs of this Australian sharewater. With this, the American Society hopes that every birder can enjoy birds without hindrance. “Birds need our help, now more than ever.”

In Dutch, only Vlaamse Jay is renamed to the correct ‘J’ because there is nothing Flemish about Jay. For now, Pallas’s wood warbler and Demminck’s sandpiper are unharmed.