Mission

The American Ornithologists Union is an international organization dedicated to advancing knowledge and effective communication about birds. We focus on a scientifically based understanding of avian diversity and its associated nomenclature. “American” means “of the Americas,” including North and South America and the surrounding waters.

About

We host, publish, and manage lists of bird names, scientific and vernacular, to improve knowledge and communication about birds. We support scientifically based, stable ornithological nomenclature. Names matter. In most cases, stable, widely used names within a given language matter more.

We are not interested in politicizing bird names or forcing usage of different names. The names we present are the ones we use when trying to communicate as widely as possible, whether within or across audiences.

We also think that it is okay to have differences among bird lists, especially with respect to species limits, even under a single species concept (here, the biological species concept). We have a lot to learn still about species limits in birds. What we know is often not definitive and is open to alternative interpretations and new data. Such disagreements over scientific matters (not cultural) are the hallmark of an active science in which our knowledge remains incomplete.

Although we begin with scientific and English names, we encourage development and implementation of standardized lists of vernacular names in other languages. Scientific names adhere to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).

The American Ornithologists Union is a new organization. Historically, there was a different organization, the American Ornithologists’ Union, that was founded in 1883. They ceased to exist when they merged with the Cooper Ornithological Society in 2016 and became the American Ornithological Society. Our activities are not associated with that organization.

We are an umbrella organization focused on avian diversity and nomenclature. We are not a membership society (see Support). We do not plan to publish a typical scientific journal, but rather one that includes articles on avian diversity, taxonomy, and nomenclature. We do not plan to have meetings.

We use the biological species concept and recognize subspecies whenever possible (realizing that in some cultures and languages these criteria are not possible). Subspecies are phenotypically delimited. English or other vernacular names are sometimes warranted for major subspecific groups but are not generally or uniformly applied at the subspecies level.

Donations are gratefully accepted. All donations will be used to advance the mission of the American Ornithologists Union (see Support and Mission).

Why our lists are preferred

Our lists are evidence-driven and intended to be relatively stable. With our lists, cultural influences will have lower priority than standardization, stability, science, and effective communication. This is not to say that stability is assured. As knowledge changes, names are likely to change, too. And cultural considerations can be important. Given that we still have a lot to learn about avian diversity, nomenclatural stasis is unlikely. But we don’t support names being changed just for cultural, name-changing’s sake, with the consequent discussions, disagreements, debates, and time usage with no obvious gain in either knowledge or avian conservation. We’re focused on processes that prioritize taxonomic lists that can be depended on to accurately reflect avian diversity and serve as a fairly stable set of terms that can be used to communicate about that diversity.

In contrast, the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds offered by the American Ornithological Society (AOS) is going to undergo massive changes in the coming years (see History). They have chosen to make avian nomenclature a tool of social activism and have outlined hundreds of changes they will make to long-established English names. The many changes dictated so far have come from decisions made by a very small number of people and are based on social activism rather than on science and improved data and knowledge. We disagree that this is an effective way to foster communication among the many diverse people who study and enjoy birds.

Historically, substantive English bird name changes in North America have occurred at a rate of less than one per year. The widespread acceptance of the American Ornithologists’ Union/American Ornithological Society Check-list until 2023 indicates that this rate of change is acceptable. Although we will not try to coopt our shared vocabulary of bird names to advance a sociopolitical cause, we leave room for some changes that are culturally driven. However, stability remains a priority and collectively we will strive not to go above that historic rate for well-known avifaunas.

Existing, well-used names will be preferred. Novel names or older, less-used names existing prior to 2023 might be implemented with sufficient justification.

Support

We are entirely supported by donations, which are gladly accepted. We are recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization, and donors can thus deduct their contributions under IRC Section 170.

We are not a membership society. Why? The current polarization of society has led to illiberal restrictions of freedom of thought and speech. Members of the American Ornithological Society’s North American Classification Committee have been called racists and bigots on social media for speaking honestly about the importance of stability and science-based nomenclature. Science works when honest debates and discussions are encouraged without fear of personal or professional reprisal. Racism, discrimination, and bigotry are intolerable in such a society, and tolerance for differing views and opinions is part of its very fabric.

Recognizing that a nonpolitical, scientifically oriented nomenclature best serves everyone, but that not everyone will feel comfortable associating with this idea publicly, we make anonymity easy by not having a membership. We also recognize that many people are like us and similarly support an apolitical, stable avian nomenclature managed on scientific grounds. We hope all of you will support us, either in donations, in the use and citation of the lists we provide, or by developing evidence-based taxonomic lists of the birds of your region (in whatever language you prefer).

Our support of stability and science-based nomenclature might be perceived by some as opposition to social goals such as ending systemic racism or supportive of the historic wrongs that are ostensibly being righted by large-scale name changing. Neither is the case. Bird name changes are perennially contentious, and each change has an exclusionary effect (e.g., by often causing disagreements and requiring new terms to be learned to replace ones already known). Ideologically driven changes, especially at a large scale, will be particularly divisive, and will likely increase participation among people who agree with certain values and decrease it among people who don’t. Those costs have not been assessed by the AOS; nor have the presumed benefits, which thus far are only aspirational. We think a less divisive approach along the lines of what made the Check-list the widely used and reliable resource that it was will be more effective. That said, we do recognize that the Check-list’s historic success with such a numerically large audience does not mean that there are no barriers to participation remaining. We prefer a fine-tuned approach that doesn’t unduly alienate large numbers of those already participating. We want everyone to appreciate and study birds.

(Images on this site are from Audubon’s Birds of America, 1840-44.)