Re: [cobirds] AOU, Changing bird names

Megan's suggestion for a wonderfully lyrical new name for our "dryland phoebe" delights me. A descriptive name is an improvement over an eponym, but a descriptive name that poetically celebrates the essence of the bird is even better. "Thick-billed" certainly beats "McCown's", but does it really do justice to a bird whose buoyant song-flight over an open prairie at dawn is a true wonder of nature? Perhaps we can follow the example of the odonates community who standardized the common names for dragonflies with creative and mellifluous ones like "boghaunter" and "sundragon".

If we think about naming a species for its habitat, let's keep in mind that its breeding habitat or the area that we most associate with it might not be where it lives for most of the year. In Colorado, Lincoln's Sparrow could accurately be called Willow Sparrow, but that might be confusing to people who see it in its nonbreeding range (where it spends the majority of its time). Similarly with Baird's -> Tundra Sandpiper.

We may also want to consider the current preferred names for parts of a bird, particularly the upper front of the torso. These days, something like "Crescent-chested" sounds better to a lot of people than "Buff-breasted".

Finally, while we're at it, could we please consider reverting Northern Harrier to Marsh Hawk? :)

Peter Ruprecht

Superior

On Thu, Nov 2, 2023 at 11:04 PM Megan Miller <megan.k.miller2473@gmail.com> wrote:

I am a freshly minted 31 year old and I have been part of Colorados birding community for around 20 years. I grew up here, found my passion for birds and wildlife here, and built a career out of it. It was very difficult and now that I am here the path forward doesn't feel any easier. We still have great challenges to overcome to create a better planet for birds and people.

 A few years ago when discussion about changing bird names moved through twitter and instagram I was also initially hesitant. I love Wilson's Warblers with all of my heart. But the more I learned about some (but not all) of the men that described these species the more it seemed that they were murderers first and avian hobbyists on the side. I think there are plenty of platforms to remember the people who described and categorized all these birds and it's time to move on to new naming conventions. 

I know for a lot of younger birders this feels important because we feel we have so little power the change our world for the better. It feels like a tiny step to building a community fitting to our and future generations. I do think it's inevitable and it is only a small change considering the changes that could face us in the coming years. 

I think Says Phoebe should be called Sunrise Phoebe. 

Megan Miller

Pueblo, Co 

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