In North America, Birds Will No Longer Be Named after People
2023-11-07
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1Birds in North America will no longer be named after people.
2The American Ornithological Society announced the move Wednesday.
3Next year, the organization will begin to rename around 80 birds found in the United States and Canada.
4Colleen Handel is the organization's president.
5She said: "There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today."
6"Everyone who loves and cares about birds should be able to enjoy and study them freely," Handel added.
7Rather than review each bird named after a person individually, all birds named after people will be renamed, the organization announced.
8Birds that will be renamed include those currently called Wilson's warbler and Wilson's snipe.
9Those are both named after the 19th century naturalist Alexander Wilson.
10Audubon's shearwater, a seabird named for John James Audubon, also will get a new name.
11In 2020, the organization renamed a bird that used to be named after Confederate Army General, John P. McCown.
12It is now called the thick-billed longspur.
13"I'm really happy and excited about the announcement," said Emily Williams.
14She is an ornithologist at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. who was not involved in the decision.
15She said debates over bird names have been happening among birdwatchers for the past several years.
16"Naming birds based on habitat or appearance is one of the least problematic approaches," Williams said.
17Earlier this year, the National Audubon Society announced that it would keep its name.
18Some critics argued that the group should lose its connection to John James Audubon, whose family owned slaves.
19"The name has come to represent so much more than the work of one person," Susan Bell told Audubon magazine in March.
20She is chair of the National Audubon Society's Board of Directors.
21Bell added, "We must reckon with the racist legacy of John James Audubon."
22A 2020 incident in New York's Central Park has been reported as an example of discrimination that Black people sometimes face when trying to enjoy the outdoors.
23Christian Cooper, a Black birdwatcher, was looking for birds when he asked a white woman, Amy Cooper, to follow local rules and leash her dog.
24Cooper called the police and was later charged with filing a false police report.
25Police later dropped the charge.
26Soon after, a group of birdwatchers organized the first Black Birders Week for Black nature lovers and scientists.
27And a group called Bird Names for Birds sent a petition to the ornithological society urging it to create "a plan to change harmful common names" of birds.
28I'm Gena Bennett.
1Birds in North America will no longer be named after people. The American Ornithological Society announced the move Wednesday. 2Next year, the organization will begin to rename around 80 birds found in the United States and Canada. 3Colleen Handel is the organization's president. She said: "There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today." 4"Everyone who loves and cares about birds should be able to enjoy and study them freely," Handel added. 5Rather than review each bird named after a person individually, all birds named after people will be renamed, the organization announced. 6Birds that will be renamed include those currently called Wilson's warbler and Wilson's snipe. Those are both named after the 19th century naturalist Alexander Wilson. Audubon's shearwater, a seabird named for John James Audubon, also will get a new name. 7In 2020, the organization renamed a bird that used to be named after Confederate Army General, John P. McCown. It is now called the thick-billed longspur. 8"I'm really happy and excited about the announcement," said Emily Williams. She is an ornithologist at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. who was not involved in the decision. 9She said debates over bird names have been happening among birdwatchers for the past several years. 10"Naming birds based on habitat or appearance is one of the least problematic approaches," Williams said. 11Earlier this year, the National Audubon Society announced that it would keep its name. Some critics argued that the group should lose its connection to John James Audubon, whose family owned slaves. 12"The name has come to represent so much more than the work of one person," Susan Bell told Audubon magazine in March. She is chair of the National Audubon Society's Board of Directors. Bell added, "We must reckon with the racist legacy of John James Audubon." 13A 2020 incident in New York's Central Park has been reported as an example of discrimination that Black people sometimes face when trying to enjoy the outdoors. 14Christian Cooper, a Black birdwatcher, was looking for birds when he asked a white woman, Amy Cooper, to follow local rules and leash her dog. Cooper called the police and was later charged with filing a false police report. Police later dropped the charge. 15Soon after, a group of birdwatchers organized the first Black Birders Week for Black nature lovers and scientists. 16And a group called Bird Names for Birds sent a petition to the ornithological society urging it to create "a plan to change harmful common names" of birds. 17I'm Gena Bennett. 18Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 19______________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21exclusionary - n. related to not including something 22ornithologist -n. a scientist who studies birds 23habitat - n. the place where a plant or animal naturally lives 24reckon with - v. to consider or think about 25legacy - n. what a person or a generation leaves to future generations 26leash - v. to put a rope around the neck of a dog so it can be walked 27petition - n. a document to be presented to officials that people sign to show they agree with what the document asks the officials to do