When Isaiah Scott saw the Bachman’s Sparrow fly over a plot of pine savanna in South Carolina he was thrilled at the sight of the elusive creature.
But the experience turned sour when the 20-year-old ornithologist learned of Reverend John Bachman, the pastor after whom the sparrow is named who defended slavery and supported the secession of southern states during the Civil War.
“Sometimes I wonder, if I were to go back in time and meet this guy, what would that experience look like? What would he say about me? What would he say to me? Some people think, ‘It’s just a name and we don’t have to think about it that deeply,’ but it’s kind of hard not to. And it just tarnishes the joyful experience that birdwatching brings to people.”
This year a new name may be on the horizon for Bachman’s Sparrow as the American Ornithological Society (AOS) seeks to rename up to 80 bird species named after people. The project comes in response to pressure from avid birders, ornithologists and environmental scientists, who find the eponymous names a hindrance in the field and an unsettling reminder of a dark past for Black and Indigenous people.
“There is power in a name, and 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 attention on the unique features and beauty of the birds themselves,” AOS President Colleen Handel said in a statement announcing the plan. “Everyone who loves and cares about birds should be able to enjoy and study them freely — and birds need our help now more than ever.”
For many birders, the imminent name changes are long overdue.
Scott started rallying behind name changes for birds in the summer of 2020, after the police killing of George Floyd sparked a national uprising and racial reckoning. That same summer, a video of a white woman threatening to call the police on Black birder in Central park went…
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