Avian Rebrand: New Names for Many North American Birds

This episode—which is Number 87—is all about some big news in the birding world. The common names for about 150 North American bird species are going to change in the not-too-distant future.

This comes from an announcement made by the American Ornithological Society just a few weeks ago, on November 1st.

I couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about this. It’s a hot topic among birders right now. People have been asking me what I think about all these birds getting renamed. And so here we are.

If you’re hearing about this for the first time, and you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry—I’ll explain.

Yes, this is primarily relevant to birds and the humans who love them in the Western Hemisphere. Mostly North America for now.

But similar changes may be on the horizon for your local birds, wherever you live. So I think you’ll find this interesting, even if you don’t live in the US or Canada.
 

Links of Interest

• American Ornithological Society (AOS) Council Statement on English Bird Names
• AOS Community Congress on English Bird Names [VIDEO]

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Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website 

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