VOA科学技术2023--In North America, Birds Will No Longer Be Named after People

In North America, Birds Will No Longer Be Named after People

Birds in North America will no longer be named after people. The American Ornithological¹ Society announced the move Wednesday.

Next year, the organization will begin to rename around 80 birds found in the United States and Canada.

Colleen Handel is the organization's president. She said: "There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary² and harmful today."

"Everyone who loves and cares about birds should be able to enjoy and study them freely," Handel added.

Rather than review each bird named after a person individually, all birds named after people will be renamed, the organization announced.

Birds that will be renamed include those currently called Wilson's warbler and Wilson's snipe. Those are both named after the 19th century naturalist³ Alexander Wilson. Audubon's shearwater, a seabird named for John James Audubon, also will get a new name.

In 2020, the organization renamed a bird that used to be named after Confederate Army General, John P. McCown. It is now called the thick-billed longspur.

"I'm really happy and excited about the announcement," said Emily Williams. She is an ornithologist⁴ at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. who was not involved in the decision.

She said debates over bird names have been happening among birdwatchers for the past several years.

"Naming birds based on habitat or appearance is one of the least problematic approaches," Williams said.

Earlier this year, the National Audubon Society announced that it would keep its name. Some critics argued that the group should lose its connection to John James Audubon, whose family owned slaves.

"The name has come to represent so much more than the work of one person," Susan Bell told Audubon magazine in March. She is chair of the National Audubon Society's Board of Directors. Bell added, "We must reckon with the racist⁵ legacy⁶ of John James Audubon."

A 2020 incident in New York's Central Park has been reported as an example of discrimination that Black people sometimes face when trying to enjoy the outdoors.

Christian⁷ Cooper, a Black birdwatcher, was looking for birds when he asked a white woman, Amy Cooper, to follow local rules and leash⁸ her dog. Cooper called the police and was later charged with filing a false police report. Police later dropped the charge.

Soon after, a group of birdwatchers organized the first Black Birders Week for Black nature lovers and scientists.

And a group called Bird Names for Birds sent a petition to the ornithological society urging it to create "a plan to change harmful common names" of birds.

Words in This Story

exclusionary — n. related to not including something

ornithologist –n. a scientist who studies birds

habitat — n. the place where a plant or animal naturally lives

reckon with — v. to consider or think about

legacy — n. what a person or a generation leaves to future generations

leash — v. to put a rope around the neck of a dog so it can be walked

petition — n. a document to be presented to officials that people sign to show they agree with what the document asks the officials to do

1 ornithological   

adj.鸟类学的

参考例句：

• Is there an ornithological reason for keeping them in separate cages? 用独立的笼子养鸟，有什么鸟类学的原因吗？ 来自电影对白
• Mere amateurs in 2009 will make ornithological history in China by discovering birds unknown to science. 在即将来临的2009年里，中国鸟类学史大概会由不打眼的业余人士通过发现未知的鸟类而刷新。 来自互联网

2 exclusionary   

adj.排斥（性）的，排除在外的

参考例句：

• Play not finish, uncle fidgeting, cut exclusionary. 戏未演完，叔父坐立不安，仓皇退席。 来自互联网
• Procecutor: I am asking you to recognize the absurdity of the exclusionary rule. 检察官：我是在请求您认识到这个排除规则的荒谬性。 来自互联网

3 naturalist   

n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。

4 ornithologist   

n.鸟类学家

参考例句：

• That area is an ornithologist's paradise.那个地区是鸟类学家的天堂。
• Now I know how an ornithologist feels.现在我知道做为一个鸟类学家的感受了。

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。