In April 2021, the American Ornithological Society convened a вЂњ Community Congress on Eponymous English Bird Names вЂќ specifically to address issues of taxonomy for common bird names in the English language. It is indeed time for a creative shift in bird naming conventions so they may reflect values such as inclusivity and diversity in our society. The Bird Names for Birds movement argues that these names are like вЂњverbal statuesвЂќ and that the moment has come for the birding community to take a long, hard look at the institutions and systems that perpetuate white colonial ideals. The Alexandrine parakeet gets its name from Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), who exported the birds throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. BachmanвЂ™s Sparrow was named after John Bachman, a clergyman from Charleston, South Carolina, who hosted Audubon during his expedition. GambelвЂ™s Quail was named after William Gambel, a 19th-century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States. Eponymous bird names are those named in this way, and they convey a sense of ownership to the naturalists (or their ruddy companions) who identified them in the Western scientific record. When birds are named after individuals who вЂњdiscoveredвЂќ them during the process of imperialism and colonial expansion, it indicates that certain white (and often male) people are worthy of being remembered and forever glorified alongside those species. Drew Lanham observed in his powerful article about birding, racism and white privilege, вЂњAudubonвЂ™s work became canon, and John James himself akin to birdersвЂ™ JesusвЂќ. With one anecdotal bang, the sparrow that fell from the sky became associated with Thomas Lincoln, and every ornithology database in the world now labels the bird as such, because of the power of AudubonвЂ™s word. On seizing it, I found it to be a species which I had not previously seen and, supposing it to be new, I named it TomвЂ™s Finch, in honour of our friend Lincoln, who was a great favourite among us.вЂќ He wrote that вЂњ chance placed my young companion, Thomas Lincoln, in a situation where he saw it alight within shot, and with his usually unerring aim, he cut short its career. According to Audubon, he and his men were trying to shoot sparrows to study them, and were having trouble staking their claim.

вЂњLincolnвЂ™s SparrowвЂќ was named after Thomas Lincoln, a young American who took part in John James AudubonвЂ™s expedition to Natashquan, Quebec (in the Innu language, Natashquan means вЂњwhere one hunts for bearвЂќ ).

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