Hello and welcome.

This is the Science of Birds.

I am your host, Ivan Philipson.

The Science of Birds podcast is a lighthearted exploration of bird biology for lifelong learners.

This episode, which is number 87, is all about some big news in the birding world.

The common names for about 150 North American bird species are going to change in the not-too-distant future.

This comes from an announcement made by the American Ornithological Society just a few weeks ago on November 1st.

Now, I don't normally make podcast episodes about the latest breaking bird news or

birding gossip, but I couldn't pass up the chance to talk about this. It's a hot topic among

birders right now. People have been asking me what I think about all these birds getting renamed.

So here we are. And if you're hearing about this

for the first time and you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry. I'll explain. And yes,

this is primarily relevant to birds and the humans who love them in the Western Hemisphere,

mostly North America for now. But similar changes

may be on the horizon for your local birds wherever you live. So I think you'll find this

interesting, even if you don't live in the U.S. or Canada. All right, let's get right into it.

To understand all of this, we first need some background, so we're all on the same page. Each bird species has more than one name,

and these names are of two types. There's the scientific name, and there's the common name.

Every bird species and every other living thing that scientists have formally described has a scientific name.

And I'm sure you know this. A bird's common name is whatever people actually call it in their

local language. Take the rock pigeon, for example, a bird famous for living feral in cities

around the world and famous for invading your personal

...