[ECOLOG-L] To capitalize or not to capitalize

[David Anderson]

It is important to separate vernacular names from professionally  
designated common names assigned to species.  The American  
Ornithologists' Union is the authority that names birds in North  
America, and names of birds are capitalized: Chipping Sparrow, Lovely  
Cotinga.  These names are associated with taxonomic binomials  
consistent with the recognized status of species.  A chipping sparrow  
is any sparrow seen chipping.  A Chipping Sparrow refers to Spizella  
passerina.  All cotingas are lovely indeed, but only Lovely Cotinga  
refers to Cotinga amabilis.  Birds have many common names.  A "hoot  
owl" means nothing in particular.  A "rain crow" is a Common  
Nighthawk.  When popular magazines, e.g., National Geographic,  
Audubon, incorrectly refer to chipping sparrows and lovely cotingas  
they are ignoring the scientific authority and tradition that  
separates vernacular from science, and in so doing they blur the  
boundary between common and scientific observations and knowledge.


David L. Anderson
Ph.D. Candidate
Museum of Natural Science
Louisiana State University
225-578-5393
dand...@tigers.lsu.edu
http://www.museum.lsu.edu/Anderson/index.htm