The American Ornithological Society is planning to change the names of birds that refer to specific people or are now considered offensive.

The American Ornithological Society's (AOS) new rules will likely cause a stir in the bird-watching world and give new names to a significant number of species. The society says it has engaged in discussions with bird enthusiasts and will first focus on renaming the 70–80 species in the US and Canada that are named after people or whose names are now deemed offensive or exclusionary. Work on this process will begin in 2024.

For instance, the name of Anna's hummingbird, a small bird named after an Italian duchess, will be changed, as will that of Lewis's woodpecker, which was named after explorer Meriwether Lewis. The society paid particular attention to bird names associated with historical crimes by modern standards. For example, the case of the Townsend's warbler, named after John Kirk Townsend, who robbed Native American graves in the 1800s. This is not the first attempt to change bird names; in 2020, the society changed the name of a bird previously associated with Confederate General John P. McCown (John P McCown); the bird is now called the thick-billed longspur (formerly McCown's longspur).

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There is power in a name. Some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today. We need a much more inclusive and engaging scientific process that focuses on the unique characteristics and beauty of birds, AOS President Colleen Handel said in a statement. Everyone who loves and cares about birds should be able to enjoy and study them freely; birds need our help now more than ever.

Since 1886, the AOS and its predecessor, the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU), have maintained the official list of English names for birds in North America (and recently South America). These names are widely used but are often updated as new scientific facts emerge, the organisation notes. The scientific names of the birds will not be changed.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/02/why-north-american-birds-renamed-ornithological-society