Name changes are a common sense decision

The Kirtland's Warbler may be one of the more well-known (and most threatened) species to be impacted by AOS' announcement.

In early November, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) announced that it would change the names of 70 to 80 bird species that are named after people. The decision was made because many of the names honored people who were racists, misogynists, slave owners, or otherwise held views that most of us would now find offensive. Further, the names make little sense, don’t offer insight into habitat or identification, and make it even harder to get into this fairly obscure hobby. No one person “owns” a species. AOS gives the example of what was the McCown’s Longspur:

For example, in 2020, the AOS renamed a small prairie songbird found on the Great Plains to “Thick-billed Longspur.” The bird’s original name—honoring John P. McCown, an amateur naturalist who later became a general in the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War—was perceived as a painful link to slavery and racism.

I’ve been unable to find many critiques of the decision beyond those found in social media comment sections. As far as I can tell, the primary concern (and one of the more thoughtful concerns) about the decision is that it may lead to confusion—scientific names like Accipter cooperii for Cooper’s Hawk will remain. Will the people of the future understand that a Woodland Hawk* is the same as the Cooper’s? Or perhaps it will make it harder for beginning birders to pick up on new names. And sure, there are likely people who just don’t want any change in birding or who resist anything that may be deemed politically correct.

One of the groups materially impacted by the naming decision has sought to protect our most endangered songbird for the past decade. That’s the nonprofit Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance (KWA), whose efforts in Michigan’s jack pine forest have helped the species thrive after it faced extinction. KWA had among the most thoughtful comments on the name change, even as Kirtland himself is viewed positively. Even as the all-volunteer organization will be faced with additional expenses and other challenges due to a likely new name.

From KWA:

It did not come as a shock when the American Ornithological Society announced in early November that the organization would, in 2024, start changing the names of birds that are named after people—Audubon’s Oriole, Wilson’s Warbler/Phalarope, LaSagra’s Flycatcher, etc. There has been talk for several years about having “bird names” for birds. 

So, yes, it would appear that the Kirtland’s Warbler is in for a name change, too.

We understand and generally support the impetus for the effort. We TOTALLY support the AOS’s rationale to make birds and birding more inclusive. Conservation and bird study should not be in the provenance of a few people. We should and must welcome all. And many of the people who have been have had species named after them have done some pretty awful things. They were slave owners. They were grave robbers in an effort to prove Native Americans were an inferior race. They were insurrectionists.

By all accounts, Kirtland was on the right side of history. He was an abolitionist and his house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. He was primarily a physician, but he was also a botanist and shared his knowledge with other local farmers to help them improve their crops. He was the region's foremost expert on animals. In fact, two snake species are named for him: Kirtland's Snake and the Forest Vine Snake (Thelotornis kirtlandii). He worked on behalf of prison reform in the Ohio Legislature. He was one of the founders of the Cleveland Academy of Natural Sciences, which would become the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He also served on a committee to ensure Cleveland had safe drinking water.

KWA is still figuring out the extent to which the naming decision will impact the organization and the Kirtland’s Warbler. The organization will either have to change its name or create a “doing business as” entity. That will cost money and take time. Further, the Kirtland’s Warbler may lose some of the goodwill and awareness it has generated through the years. There’s also an effort to make the warbler the state bird instead of the American Robin. It will take a great deal of time before people will get accustomed to a new name. (Though Jack Pine Warbler^ has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?)

The Kirtland’s Warbler is in for a name change. TWiB file photo.

*Woodland Hawk is my suggestion for the new name of the Cooper’s Hawk.

^The Kirtland’s Warbler was once known as the Jack Pine Warbler colloquially.

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Last Christmas

Red-bellied Woodpecker. TWiB file photo.

Rising woodpecker numbers have been a theme for years in Chicago-area Christmas Bird Counts. This year’s count in the Southwest Suburbs proved to be no exception. The count on December 17 resulted in a new record for Red-bellied Woodpecker—350 individuals topping the previous mark of 347 set in 2019. As recently as 2008, Red-bellied Woodpecker numbers were at just 119.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers have been on the increase in the last 15 years. Data from Lisle-Arboretum (IL) Count Circle.

Pileated Woodpecker continued its ascent, with a record 30 individuals, a new high. In 2014, there was just one Pileated found on the count. Never numerous in Chicagoland, Pileateds may be proliferating as more woodlands are kept intact and large dead trees are allowed to remain in the forest. Woodpeckers likely are benefiting from efforts to restore oak savanna ecosystems, which largely had been depleted in the region for the past century.

One of the storylines going into the count was the relative dearth of species like American Tree Sparrow in the past decade. It’s been an alarming trend and possibly reflective of global climate change as well as landscape management practices. Tree sparrows were again below the 15-year average, but it was a big year for White-throated Sparrow, which are staying farther north than usual.

Weather patterns always affect the Christmas Bird Count, and that was the case this year, too. The mild December resulted in wide open waters. Belted Kingfisher (28) was among the species hitting a record, and Great Blue Heron (30) came close to setting one. These birds are simply less plentiful when waterways are iced over.

The count finished with 84 species, which is off its pace of 90 set in 2015.

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A fowl adventure film

I went into a winter-vacation viewing of the new animated film “Migration” with some skepticism. I’d seen trailers featuring a Mallard duckling flying south with its parents, and the mere idea of that had turned me off. The film ascribing flight to a downy duckling seemed a terrible mistake that would lead to a generation of kids who know even less about birds and the natural world.

I began watching the film with an ornithological eye but gave up about 20 minutes into it. “Migration” is an animated kids adventure movie. The goal is to entertain more than educate. I had to accept that fact to make it through the remainder of the film. There are ducklings flying, yes, and along the way they meet a Scarlet Macaw trying to make it from New York City to their homeland of Jamaica (nevermind that macaws don’t reside in Jamaica in real life).

While enduring my own angst, I decided to look at the experience through the eyes of a 10-year-old. For her, the film was silly and fun. Birds were just the vehicle for the laughs. And maybe that’s fine.

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Parting shot