AOS to discard patronyms in English names (2 Viewers)

[Acanthis]

is the Humboldt penguin named after the person or the current? If the latter, the penguin is safe, in the same way that Hudsonian Whimbrel would be safe.

Hope so! Unless some fool's planning on changing the current's name.....

 

[l_raty]

What about Raggiana Bird of Paradise?

This name is an absurdity in the first place... But yes, it does refer to a person.
(It should be 'Raggi's', or perhaps 'Raggian' (à la 'Gouldian').)

 

[James Jobling]

What neobowdlerism might they suggest for Attila?

 

[andrew147]

It would be excellent if the AOS took this opportunity to fix other chronic English name problems. e.g. replace Parulid 'warbler' with parula, replace Passerellid 'sparrow' with towhee/junco, replace Icterid 'oriole' with troupial...

I honestly don't know if this comment will inflame or ameliorate the reactionaries on this thread!

 

[jurek]

It is worth reading about other attempts to rewrite language. Such things were tried in many times and places in history which almost always ended badly. Probably because the idea to rename reality comes together with other faults. I am surprised that American universities don't teach it. How during the French Revolution they renamed chess figures to get rid of the king, queen and the bishop, how Stalinist Soviet Union changed names of places and things, how in North Korea they have a flower named Kimjongilia and so on.

I am trying to compile a potential list of replacement names

I have a better idea. Search through all historical people named Smith, Williamson, Wilson etc. and find people which were honorable by standards of American university activists. Then announce, that the Smith's Longspur is now officially named not after Smith X but Smith Y.

If anybody objects, challenge him why he wants to remove Darwin from Darwin's Rhea, Darwin's finches or Darwin's Nothura?

 

[Lerxst]

If anybody objects, challenge him why he wants to remove Darwin

Why do you think Darwin would escape their efforts?

The BN4B folks are ambivalent, at best, about even Klass having an honorific, even though he was indigenous. After all, we don't know what kind of ideas Klass had about the Europeans he was working with. I quote from the BN4B site:

We know almost nothing about Klaas, the source of the name of an absolutely brilliant emerald cuckoo of Africa. He enters and exits the historic record in Le Vaillant’s account of traveling in southern Africa in the 1780s, where he was one of the members of the French ornithologist’s party. But what we do know about him makes the fact that a bird bears his name all the more notable. Klaas was not French: he was Khoikhoi, one of the Indigenous people of the area.

Even though Le Vaillant frequently mentions Klaas in his account of his travels, praising his knowledge and abilities profusely, we still only have a frustratingly faint picture of him. What did he think of this Frenchman and his need to see and catalogue everything? Was the apparent admiration that Le Vaillant held for him– he calls him his brother at one point– mutual? How did he end up in this expedition anyways? If we were to see this journey through his eyes, what would he have told us?

There are very few Indigenous people who were honored with a bird being named for them. From the glimpses we have of Klaas, he was an extraordinary person. But he was certainly not the only extraordinary Indigenous person who was part of one of these expeditions– people who we know even less of.

 

[mb1848]

"Barolo Shearwater"? Mr. Jobling's Key says yes.
Carlo Ippolito Ernesto Tancredi Maria Falletti Marchese di Barolo (1782-1838)
Actually on the AOS check-list
AOU Checklist of North and Middle American Birds .

 

[mb1848]

Mysticete said:
I am trying to compile a potential list of replacement names, in part going through online references to other names. It's kind of surprising the number of really evocative names got binned for much lamer ones. Names like Painted Longspur, Black-crowned Sapsucker, and Tricolored Phalarope were in use at one time, and overall feel like replacing them with Smith's Longspur, Williamson's Sapsucker, and Wilson's Phalarope are definitely a step backward from these older names.
Good luck . If I find any evocative names I will share.
MY current plan is to download 10/31/2023 AOS English check-list and only use that when communicating with fellow "birdwatchers", reporting a sighting to a bird record committee etc. I have only been involved in litigation concerning a salamander but who knows. I am not using the new names. If a process suggested by the two check-list committees had gone forward I would have used those names. The two committees are not afraid of hard work or deep research that path requires.
I do not consider myself a reactionary. I am so woke I'm living on reds, Vitamin C, and warm milk to get any sleep.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hope so! Unless some fool's planning on changing the current's name.....

The Humboldt Current is named after the German naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt so same thing.

 

[mb1848]

I know believe that Cock-of-the- rock is more like cock of the walk. The name comes because of the behavior of the males on the Lek. They show off their pecs etc. Earliest use I can find is 1742.
Essai sur l'histoire naturelle de la France Equinoxiale - Biodiversity Heritage Library .
Natuurkundige beschryving eener uitmuntende verzameling van zeldsaame gedierten .

 

[James Jobling]

The Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock was so-named because of its coxcomb or crest and habit of nesting in caves (hence generic tag Rupicola).

 

[Acanthis]

Fair point that it's more than the throat. I don't see it as 'crimson', however; rosy (or, as one of the sites I'll link below calls it, magenta) seems a better descriptor.

Perhaps, then, 'Rose-faced Hummingbird' or 'Magenta-faced Hummingbird'?

Anna's Hummingbird Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Anna’s Hummingbirds are among the most common hummingbirds along the Pacific Coast, yet they're anything but common in appearance. With their iridescent emerald feathers and sparkling rose-pink throats, they are more like flying jewelry than birds. Though no larger than a ping-pong ball and no...

www.allaboutbirds.org

https://ebird.org/species/annhum

Personally I've never really cared who these people were or what they did. What IS important to me is will I remember the species when I see the name on paper or on a screen. For example 'Anna's Hummingbird' - yes! All sorts of images and memories pop into my head, none of which have anything to do with anyone called Anna. When it comes to dull, forgettable alternatives I'd sooner just use the scientific name🤷‍♂️

 

[Acanthis]

Anyway, without expressing my thoughts on what I think of this all... here's my list!

Ross’s Goose – Polar Goose
Steller’s Eider – Brown-bellied Eider (just to annoy everyone)
Barrow’s Goldeneye – Iceland Goldeneye (as in Dutch)
Gambel’s Quail – Sonora Quail
Montezuma Quail – Calavera Quail (the Spanish word for skull: its face pattern reminds me of the "Dia de los Muertos" skulls!)
Vaux’s Swift – Western Swift (plenty of such boring names for less boring birds)
Rivoli’s Hummingbird – Magnificent Hummingbird (reinstated)
Anna’s Hummingbird – Red-headed Hummingbird
Costa’s Hummingbird – Mojave Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird – Los Angeles Hummingbird (I thought of "Californian Hummingbird" too, but that's a bit boring)
Ridgway’s Rail – Pacific Rail (old proposal)
Clark’s Grebe – Imitator Grebe
Wilson’s Plover – Thick-billed Plover (as proposed)
Baird’s Sandpiper – Long-winged Sandpiper
Wilson’s Snipe – 16-Rectriced Snipe (I wanted the obvious "North American Snipe", but with all the nastiness of Amerigo Vespucci that may be a bad idea!)
Wilson’s Phalarope – Great Phalarope (as in Dutch)
Sabine’s Gull – Fork-tailed Gull (as in Dutch)
Bonaparte’s Gull – Tundra Gull
Ross’s Gull – Rosy Gull (as proposed)
Franklin’s Gull – Prairie Gull
Heermann’s Gull – Sea Elephant Gull
Cabot’s Tern – Gulf Tern
Forster’s Tern – Pale-winged Tern
Kittlitz’s Murrelet – Glacier Murrelet
Scripps’s Murrelet – Channel Islands Murrelet
Craveri’s Murrelet – Baja California Murrelet
Cassin’s Auklet – Lead-colored Auklet
Wilson's Storm Petrel – Whale Storm Petrel
Leach's Storm Petrel – Bounding Storm Petrel
Tristram's Storm Petrel – Sooty Storm Petrel (alternative name apparently)
Murphy’s Petrel – Austral Petrel (avoiding Pitcairn for obvious reasons)
Cook’s Petrel – Titi Petrel (from Maori)
Cory’s Shearwater – Yellow-billed Shearwater (from German)
Buller’s Shearwater – New Zealand Shearwater
Newell’s Shearwater – Ao Shearwater (from Hawaiian ‘A‘o)
Audubon’s Shearwater – Caribbean Shearwater
Brandt’s Cormorant – Kelp Cormorant
Cooper’s Hawk – Pale-naped Hawk
Harris’s Hawk – Desert Hawk (as in Dutch)
Swainson’s Hawk – Prairie Hawk (as in Dutch)
Lewis’s Woodpecker – Flycatcher Woodpecker (an odd bird deserves an odd name)
Williamson’s Sapsucker – Black Sapsucker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker – Californian Woodpecker
Strickland’s Woodpecker – Brown-backed Woodpecker (reinstated)
Say’s Phoebe – Red-bellied Phoebe
Hammond’s Flycatcher – Spruce Flycatcher
Couch’s Kingbird – Rio Grande Kingbird
Cassin’s Kingbird – White-cheeked Kingbird
Hutton’s Vireo – Kinglet Vireo (I thought this one is obvious)
Cassin’s Vireo – Grey-headed Vireo
Bell’s Vireo – Willow Vireo
Steller’s Jay – Black-and-blue Jay
Woodhouse's Scrub Jay – Juniper Scrub Jay
Clark’s Nutcracker – Tricolored Nutcracker
Bewick’s Wren – Long-tailed Wren
Bendire’s Thrasher – Grassland Thrasher
LeConte’s Thrasher – Desert Thrasher
Townsend’s Solitaire – Northern Solitaire
Swainson’s Thrush – Rusty-backed Thrush
Bicknell’s Thrush – Timberline Thrush
Sprague’s Pipit – Prairie Pipit
Cassin’s Finch – Pine Finch
Lawrence’s Goldfinch – Gray Goldfinch
Smith’s Longspur – Rusty Longspur
McKay’s Bunting – Ice Bunting (Bering Sea would introduce another patronym, St Matthew is obviously impossible as well)
Botteri’s Sparrow – Gray-winged Sparrow
Cassin’s Sparrow – Scaly-mantled Sparrow
Bachman’s Sparrow – Pinewoods Sparrow (as proposed)
Brewer’s Sparrow – Brushland Sparrow
Harris’s Sparrow – Black-bearded Sparrow
Bell’s Sparrow – Chaparral Sparrow
LeConte’s Sparrow – Orange-browed Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow – Sharp-tailed Sparrow (reinstated)
Baird’s Sparrow – Dakota Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow – Olive-browed Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow – Pin-striped Sparrow
Abert’s Towhee – Arizona Towhee
Scott’s Oriole – Yucca Oriole
Audubon’s Oriole – Green-backed Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole – White-shouldered Oriole
Brewer’s Blackbird – Glossy Blackbird
Bachman’s Warbler – Carolina Warbler
Swainson’s Warbler – Rufous-capped Warbler
Lucy’s Warbler – Red-rumped Warbler
Virginia’s Warbler – Gray-and-yellow Warbler
MacGillivray’s Warbler – Eye-ringed Warbler
Kirtland’s Warbler – Michigan Warbler (I like Jackpine Warbler too, but why not name a warbler after a state where it actually occurs for a change?)
Blackburnian Warbler – Flame-faced Warbler
Audubon’s Warbler – Yellow-patched Warbler
Grace’s Warbler – Yellow-faced Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler – Black-and-yellow Warbler (Hemlock Warbler I like as well)
Wilson’s Warbler – Black-capped Warbler
Morelet’s Seedeater – Buff-collared Seedeater

There's one or two pretty cool names on this list!

 

[Acanthis]

Just a suggestion for one of my fave birds.
How about 'Chaparral Goldfinch' for Lawrence's?😁

 

[Nightjar61]

I’m against a complete purge of patronyms such as has been proposed for various reasons, but I think a great alternative name for Harris’s Hawk is Bay-winged Hawk, a name that has been used in the past.

Dave

 

[Mysticete]

I’m against a complete purge of patronyms such as has been proposed for various reasons, but I think a great alternative name for Harris’s Hawk is Bay-winged Hawk, a name that has been used in the past.

Dave

Bay-winged is attached to the South American populations, which are about to be split off. So a new name will be needed for the Northern Harris, which is are form.

 

[qwerty5]

I'm curious how the name of a bird can be exclusionary. Who is going to quit birding, nay, be excluded from birding, because of a bird named after some (usually fairly obscure) historical figure? Especially considering, for the vast majority of cases, one has to make a rather deep search to find their wrong behaviors or opinions. This decision completely baffles me.

But anyway, I think Flaming Warbler, or some variant, would be a good replacement for Blackburnian

 

[qwerty5]

people which were honorable by standards of American university activists.

That list would exclude everyone who expressed an opinion about anything before 2020.

 

[Nightjar61]

Bay-winged is attached to the South American populations, which are about to be split off. So a new name will be needed for the Northern Harris, which is are form.

Have you heard any recent rumblings of a split? There has been talk of a split for years without anything happening, and I’ve pretty much given up hope. (I’ve seen the North American and South American forms so I’d be excited about a split). If the split does occur, then maybe appropriate names for the North American form could include Chestnut-winged Hawk, Cinnamon-winged Hawk, Cactus Hawk…

Dave

 

[Mysticete]

I'm curious how the name of a bird can be exclusionary. Who is going to quit birding, nay, be excluded from birding, because of a bird named after some (usually fairly obscure) historical figure? Especially considering, for the vast majority of cases, one has to make a rather deep search to find their wrong behaviors or opinions. This decision completely baffles me.

But anyway, I think Flaming Warbler, or some variant, would be a good replacement for Blackburnian

Fiery-throated? Immolated?