On Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 6:49:56 PM UTC-7 Cathy Sheeter wrote:
I think the visceral reaction of many really has nothing to do with names, but with simple concept of a large change from what they know. Many birds have been named, renamed and changed over the last 100 years, but people only remember and feel attached to the one they learned when they started birding, or the one they know now. Yes, there will be a big adjustment and for some it may seem overwhelming to think about remembering 150 new names…but I actually think some, if not most, of the new names will be big improvements as far as being more about the bird than some historical figure that many don't know anything about.
New birders will learn the new names and have no specific attachment to Harris's Hawk compared to Bay-winged Hawk. Harris's tells us nothing of the bird. Bay-winged is informative.
I don't personally think renaming will specifically change who is attracted to birding or if someone stays at it, but I do think descriptive names are actually more beneficial for new birders for learning. Thicket Vireo certainly helps one understand habitat of the species much more than Bell's Vireo ever has. I look forward to saying the more descriptive names of Yucca Oriole, Sedge Sparrow, Ice Bunting, and Desert Quail (of course these examples are not formally accepted names, but ideas I have seen being tossed around on various groups).
I don't think there is anything specifically beneficial to anyone by having bird's (or any animal) named after people. I admit I have rarely taken time to researched the names behind the birds they are named after, but am much more interested in their ecology, habitat and behavior, which can be incorporated in these new names. In some cases the new names might help with conservation efforts by showing a species dependence on an endangered or declining habitats.
I think and hope that in a handful of years most will look back on the changes favorably after they get used to the new names and have adjusted to them.
Cathy Sheeter
www.cathysheeter.com
Aurora, CO
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