I totally agree with you, Cathy! On Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 6:49:56 PM UTC-7 Cathy Sheeter wrote:
> I think the visceral reaction of many really has nothing to do with names, > but with simple concept of a large change from what they know. Many birds > have been named, renamed and changed over the last 100 years, but people > only remember and feel attached to the one they learned when they started > birding, or the one they know now. Yes, there will be a big adjustment and > for some it may seem overwhelming to think about remembering 150 new > names…but I actually think some, if not most, of the new names will be big > improvements as far as being more about the bird than some historical > figure that many don’t know anything about. > > New birders will learn the new names and have no specific attachment to > Harris’s Hawk compared to Bay-winged Hawk. Harris’s tells us nothing of the > bird. Bay-winged is informative. > > I don’t personally think renaming will specifically change who is > attracted to birding or if someone stays at it, but I do think descriptive > names are actually more beneficial for new birders for learning. Thicket > Vireo certainly helps one understand habitat of the species much more than > Bell’s Vireo ever has. I look forward to saying the more descriptive names > of Yucca Oriole, Sedge Sparrow, Ice Bunting, and Desert Quail (of course > these examples are not formally accepted names, but ideas I have seen being > tossed around on various groups). > > I don’t think there is anything specifically beneficial to anyone by > having bird’s (or any animal) named after people. I admit I have rarely > taken time to researched the names behind the birds they are named after, > but am much more interested in their ecology, habitat and behavior, which > can be incorporated in these new names. In some cases the new names might > help with conservation efforts by showing a species dependence on an > endangered or declining habitats. > > I think and hope that in a handful of years most will look back on the > changes favorably after they get used to the new names and have adjusted to > them. > > > Cathy Sheeter > www.cathysheeter.com > Aurora, CO > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/d95f6187-3cc0-436c-97cc-dad06c37af9fn%40googlegroups.com.
