Current fuss in North America about eponymous English bird names (3 Viewers)

[Rolosama]

Mysticete has already answered this question. What I meant is that birds are the only group where people feel the need for a global list with vernacular names, to such an extent they end up with four lists. Checklists for other groups of organisms list one or more common names if they have them, but don't create them or try and standardise them.

The link I gave is the list main recommendations page for the AOS changes. They haven't give a list of proposed changes, yet. They seem to be in the process of forming a committee to decide how to rename them.

AOS announcement: American Ornithological Society (AOS) Council Statement on English Bird Names
AOS recommendations: Ad Hoc English Bird Names Committee Recommendations for Council of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) (also as pdf)

About the Bird Names for Birds activists (in their own words): Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are there eponymous bird names in all languages? There don't seem to be many in German?

 

[kweetal]

In IOC 13.2 species names (multiling):
English (names on 's) : 832
Rough count German : ~520 (=names starting with one of the author names)
More or less comparable...

 

[redpandacat]

In IOC 13.2 species names (multiling):
English (names on 's) : 832
Rough count German : ~520 (=names starting with one of the author names)
More or less comparable...

It seems German very close to Chinese simplified ~519.

 

[michalb]

Just for context: in Polish (based on IOC13.2 list as above) there are only about 20 (!) species named after someone - 22 if I didn't miss anything on the list. So well, I guess you can take it as a proof that a system like that can exist
And out of those 22 species, 17 are named after Władysław Taczanowski (a Polish XIX century ornithologist), most of them being neotropical birds he described.

 

[kb57]

I have published a part II on bird names and barriers:

More Thoughts on Bird Names and Barriers - Michael Hurben, PhD

Edit: Please sign the petition here: https://chng.it/srvVNZ5mSZ The image above pictures Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. He was a brilliant physicist whose work helps us understand how blue feathers get their color, among many other things. His name is attached to concepts such as Raman...

legallyblindbirding.net

Let it not be said that I'm not trying to be a peacemaker.

I remain,
your humble servant,
etc.

Just catching up with this thread after a little break from Bird Forum - another excellent contribution!

 

[raymie]

Some of you may find interest in this petition:

Petition to AOS Leadership on the Recent Decision to Change all Eponymous Bird Names

Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?

chng.it

 

[Mysticete]

Some of you may find interest in this petition:

Petition to AOS Leadership on the Recent Decision to Change all Eponymous Bird Names

Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?

chng.it

Already posted in the main taxonomy forum, for anyone who wants to add comments.

 

[l_raty]

In IOC 13.2 species names (multiling):
English (names on 's) : 832
Rough count German : ~520 (=names starting with one of the author names)
More or less comparable...

It seems German very close to Chinese simplified ~519.

Just for context: in Polish (based on IOC13.2 list as above) there are only about 20 (!) species named after someone - 22 if I didn't miss anything on the list. So well, I guess you can take it as a proof that a system like that can exist
And out of those 22 species, 17 are named after Władysław Taczanowski (a Polish XIX century ornithologist), most of them being neotropical birds he described.

In French (based on "Multiling IOC 13.2" as well), not including fictional (Cora, Arlequin, Robinson, and the likes) and mythological characters (Progné, Philomèle, Ulysse, Circé, Mars, Horus, et al.), we have over 1,800 species named after a person. Six French generic names (including 14 spp) are also derived directly from a recent person's name -- to which you might add the 7 spp of Attilas (same use as in English; clearly eponymous and after a real person, albeit not a recent one, and hardly understandable as honorific); this also without including mythological characters, of which there are quite a few (Ariane, Phaéton, Argus, Ada, Amytis, etc.).

With fictional characters, mythological characters and the Attila species included, the total of birds having a French name based, one way or another, on a personal name, is close to 2,000.

 

[Lerxst]

Article today from Bob Zink:

Efforts to change names of birds named after people divisive topic among ornithologists - Outdoor News

To say it’s divisive among ornithologists is the biggest understatement since Noah said, “It looks like rain.”

www.outdoornews.com

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

If still of interest ...

A similar (and even more radical!) debate apparently goes on among ichthyologists, re. conceivable changes of inappreciative, disapproved Scientific (!?!) names of Fishes.

• Changing Scientific Names on Ethical Grounds: Six Reasons to Say "No", by Christopher Scharpf, ETYFish Project (20 December, 2023) = here.

Abstract
In recent years, biologists have been debating the acceptability and continued use of biological nomina that honor people historically associated with imperialism and colonialism, and/or who advocated sexist, racist or pro-slavery views. Some biologists propose that names deemed offensive or misaligned with contemporary values be retroactively replaced with new ones. Others have proposed the elimination of eponyms altogether, basically arguing that naming an animal after a person demeans the animal. While there is no denying the unfortunate legacies of many nomina, proposals to change existing names based on ethical grounds would disrupt nomenclatural stability, bury taxonomic history, be impractical and costly to implement, and, ultimately, would not benefit science nor conservation. Examples of names (of fishes) are given that demonstrate the disruption and confusion such proposals would bring. An example is also given (again, a fish) that shows how "colonial" and "indigenous" nomina can coexist.

 

[l_raty]

If still of interest ...

A similar (and even more radical!) debate apparently goes on among ichthyologists, re. conceivable changes of inappreciative, disapproved Scientific (!?!) names of Fishes.

• Changing Scientific Names on Ethical Grounds: Six Reasons to Say "No", by Christopher Scharpf, ETYFish Project (20 December, 2023) = here.

It's not just 'among ichthyologists', I'm afraid.

Readers may also be interested in this paper (still a preprint at this point, but co-signed by 1440 scientists) : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375446195

(As no zoological society would be very likely to decide unilaterally to abandon the ICZN, the route, for any activism aiming to have scientific names changed, will have to go through having the nomenclatural Codes themselves rewritten. The current ICZN don't seem to be likely ever to allow this (cf. Ceríaco et al 2023) -- but of course, the NACC never appeared likely to allow what is currently happening to eponymous English names either...)