Ornithological society to rename dozens of birds — and stop naming them after people

By CHRISTINA LARSON
AP Science Writer

Birds in North America will no longer be named after people. The American Ornithological Society announced the move Wednesday. Next year, the organization will begin to rename around 80 species found in the U.S. and Canada. The organization’s president says some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful. Rather than review each bird named after a person individually, all such birds will be renamed. Birds that will be renamed include those currently called Wilson’s warbler and Wilson’s snipe. Both are named after 19th century naturalist Alexander Wilson. Audubon’s shearwater, a seabird named for John James Audubon, also will get a new name.