The letter below was co-signed by 182 individuals and submitted to the addressed on June 22, 2020. http://bit.ly/RequestAOSChangeBirdNames

Many common bird names in North America commemorate men who participated in a colonial, genocidal, and heavily exploitative period of history. These antiquated common names are harmful, unnecessary, and should be changed in the interest of a more welcoming ornithology. Traditionally, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) has overseen taxonomic and nomenclatural changes. We urge AOS to acknowledge the issue of eponymous and honorific common names, to outline a plan to change harmful common names, and to prioritize the implementation of this plan.

To support this issue and to stay updated on its progress, we encourage you to sign your name below.

Follow along on Twitter/Instagram @BirdNames4Birds and use #BirdNamesForBirds.


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Addressed to:
President Kathy Martin,
President-elect Tom Sherry,
Executive Director Melinda Pruitt-Jones,
NACC committee co-chairs R. Terry Chesser, Carla Cicero,
SACC committee chair J.V. Remsen, Jr.,
the entire NACC & SACC committees,
and
American Ornithological Society at large
American Ornithological Society
1400 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605

Dear American Ornithological Society,

Given recent events, organizations are reassessing their equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives and how they are able to positively affect racial justice and dismantle systemic racism. The United States Army is seriously discussing renaming bases named after Confederate generals, statues and portraits of Confederate leaders are being removed, hate symbols such as the Confederate flag are being banned, companies are changing racial names and logos, observations of Juneteenth continue to grow, and journal names rooted in racism are being revised. The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is among these organizations, and on June 18, 2020 announced a program to provide free memberships for Black ornithologists explaining that the Society is “… redoubling our efforts towards making ornithology, birding, and access to the natural world equitable and inclusive.” We applaud this commitment but recognize another important step that the AOS is uniquely positioned to take.

Barriers in ornithology for Black, Indigenous, and people of color, are not limited to membership fees. There are significant isolating and demeaning reminders of oppression, slavery, and genocide that reside within many of the English common names attached to birds in North America. Through the committees on Classification and Nomenclature (NACC and SACC), the AOS can play a crucial role in eliminating such barriers not only for ornithology, but for recreational birding as well. Unlike recognized scientific names, the nomenclatural barriers of English common names exist for no reason other than tradition and comfort. They can be replaced without affecting science.

In 2000, the AOU’s Committee on Classification and Nomenclature famously approved the name Long-tailed Duck in the 42nd Supplement to the Check-list of North American Birds, citing alignment with the accepted English common name for that species in Europe and rejecting the consideration of nomenclatural changes based on “political correctness”. We find this reasoning flawed and contradictory to the AOS’s stated commitment to make ornithology and birding “equitable and inclusive.” Last year, a proposal to remove the eponymous “McCown”, a Confederate officer, from McCown’s Longspur was rejected. In its place, Special Considerations were created to guide the NACC’s future decision-making regarding eponymous, derogatory, or offensive names. Quite frankly, these considerations are inadequate if the AOS intends on participating in reducing the impacts of colonialism, white privilege, and racism.
 
We call upon the AOS to direct the NACC and SACC to publicly and directly address the issue of eponymous honors and other potentially derogatory, oppressive, or simply irrelevant holdovers in English common names. We seek a commitment from the AOS to announce this charge by the close of business at the NAOC VII 2020.
 
We understand that developing a process, seeking proposals for replacements, and instituting nomenclatural changes is no small feat and does require time. But now is always the best time to do the right thing. We know you understand that removing these nomenclatural impediments is indeed the right thing to do and will demonstrate the organization’s commitment to including all members of society in the ornithological and birding world.


Respectfully,
Ornithology and Birding Community Members: