The names of more than 100 birds are set to be changed as their current ones could be deemed offensive. Some of the names have links to historical figures who had connections to genocide and slavery.

And as a result, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) has decided to take action and rename the birds. The AOS said it has become apparent that naming birds after certain individuals can be distressing to certain groups, according to The New York Times.

Colleen Handel, the society's president and a research wildlife biologist with the US Geological Survey in Alaska, said: "There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today.

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“We need a much more inclusive and engaging scientific process that focuses attention on the unique features and beauty of the birds themselves. 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.

"We’ve come to understand that there are certain names that have offensive or derogatory connotations that cause pain to people, and that it is important to change those, to remove those as barriers to their participation in the world of birds."

WalesOnline reports that the bird species set for a new name include Gambel's Quail, Lewis's Woodpecker, Anna's Hummingbird, Bullock's Oriole, and Bewick's Wren. One is the Audubon's Shearwater, named after the renowned bird illustrator James John Audubon.

This bird will reportedly be renamed due to Audubon's association with slave ownership and strong opposition to abolition. The Scott's oriole is another bird species that will undergo a name change as it was originally named after US Civil War General Winfield Scott.

He led a significant force involved in the removal of the Cherokee from their land as part of the Trail of Tears, reports PBS. The initiative to rename these birds stems from the concerns of birders who found the historical connections troubling.

In 2020, following the death of George Floyd, the American Ornithological Society received a petition from the Bird Names For Bird's group, which emphasized that these names served as "isolating and demeaning reminders of oppression, slavery, and genocide."

The effort will begin in 2024 and will focus on 70–80 bird species initially. Birda, a global birdwatching app, has been working in South Africa to broaden the adoption of inclusive bird names.

Joining forces with BirdLife South Africa in 2023, Birda helped to launch the South African Names for South African Birds (SANSAB) project, producing a list of bird names in traditional South African languages.

Working with linguists, ornithologists, and birders who speak local languages, the project is under way to come up with lists of bird names, and, where there are gaps in the lists, to workshop species names that reflect not only the languages and the birds’ characteristics but also the culture of the people who speak that language.