
Every being has the right to a dignified name. Every human has the right to choose a name and an identity for himself, herself, themself. JD

Every being has the right to a dignified name. Every human has the right to choose a name and an identity for himself, herself, themself. JD
Have you submitted your suggestion for this new name to the AOS? 😊
It’s a good one!
I’ve thought about it! No kidding, my hope is that one day all such names will be revisited. Thanks for the note.
I assume you made this suggestion because you heard of the AOS’s plan to rename a number of birds. If not, here is a link: https://americanornithology.org/american-ornithological-society-will-change-the-english-names-of-bird-species-named-after-people/
Thank you for the link. No, I had not read about that. So, now I will.
As you might imagine, it’s a very controversial decision.
I read the AOS statement. In our view (including Barbra here), this decision is long overdue. If one has produced a great work of art, it is right that one’s name is associated with that work for as long as the work is appreciated. But this vanity of simply attaching a name to something that already exists has never sat well with us… and when it comes to affixing someone’s name to a living being… well, that’s quite a bit much in our view. Our hope is that next up they’ll review all the non-descriptive “common” this and “common” that. If fact, I’ve already got a photograph selected for tomorrow’s post that addresses this… so stay tuned and let us know what you think!
Some (a lot of, actually) people have a hard time letting go of some of these names. I think some simply want things to stay the same, or they claim they want to honor history.
If you would like to read some more, here is an eloquent response by Kenn Kaufman:
http://www.kaufmanfieldguides.com/kenn-on-the-issues/eponymous-bird-names-and-the-history-of-ornithology