[Tweeters] Renaming birds, and other things

[David Kreft]

Many established Latin genus names and specific epithets are inaccurate
descriptors. It’s true. But we shouldn’t change them for the reasons Dennis
has mentioned. If those don’t change there is no science-based reason to
mess with the English name. That means it’s a sociological construct to
change them. But what do I know. I’m a retired government bureaucrat
trained in arid land plant ecology.

I hope the AOS takes public input seriously. If sociology wins I just hope
American Coot is renamed the Greater Northern Ivorybill. A much more
descriptive, and noble, name.

Lighten up folks. Let’s not take it personal.

Dave Kreft
Amateur Bystander At Large

P.S. Go Cougs.

On Sat, Nov 25, 2023 at 3:58 PM Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net>
wrote:


> On Nov 25, 2023, at 1:06 PM, HAL MICHAEL <ucd880 at comcast.net> wrote:

>

>

> One problem with changing the name and consigning the older name(s) to the

> dustbin of history is that historic literature review becomes more

> difficult when names are lost or changed.

>

>

> And this is especially true for birds, for which so much of the written

> word lacks the scientific name to go along with it, making it clear what it

> actually is! How good it would be if a future popular articles were titled

> something like “Suet-eating Warbler, *Setophaga townsendi*, parasitizes

> cowbird.” Several other names I came up with for this species were

> already taken by other warblers, so that committee has its work cut out for

> it!

>

> Dennis Paulson

> Seattle

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