Re: [cobirds] Kenn Kaufman's Research on the History of Eponymous Bird Names

Jared Del Rosso published a good addition to this discussion on The Conversation:  — https://theconversation.com/why-dozens-of-north-american-bird-species-are-getting-new-names-every-name-tells-a-story-217886

An interesting point he made:  "all eponymous names imply human ownership over birds....Science has greatly expanded human understanding of birds in recent decades. We now recognize that birds are intelligent, with rich emotional lives. Radar, lightweight transmitters and satellite telemetry have helped scientists map the transcontinental migrations that many bird species make each year.

Trading eponymous names, which treat birds as passive objects, for richer descriptive names reflects this sea change in our understanding of avian lives."

Diana Beatty

El Paso County

On Mon, Dec 4, 2023 at 8:02 AM Greg Osland <gregosland1@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks to Don Jones for sharing a link from Kenn Kaufman that summarizes some of Kenn's recent research on eponymous names and the history of ornithology. The report provides objective historical facts that most birders, like me, never realized. Each of us can draw our own conclusions from his findings about the historical value of eponymous names and whether they should be retained for historical reasons.  Here is one of his findings:

From the 1820s to the early 1840s in North America, John James Audubon was handing out eponyms like candy. At first he was trying to court favor with British naturalists (like Bewick, Henslow, or Swainson) or with wealthy individuals who might support his work. Later he used names to honor various friends and colleagues (like Harris, Sprague, or Bell). 

http://www.kaufmanfieldguides.com/kenn-on-the-issues/eponymous-bird-names-and-the-history-of-ornithology?fbclid=IwAR32lesbSDgzt0MiBEG4bGBoBBnWEPPcisGmEW9z-aWljHFrMbOi08lwxaU

Greg Osland

Larimer County

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