• @confluence
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    461 year ago

    Some birb names have recently been changed, but it was more about reversing racial stereotypes. The tits and bananaquits got to stay

    • @[email protected]
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      111 year ago

      I thought it was less about racial stereotypes, and more about this big recent push across multiple fields to not have people’s names attached to things. Right now (or recently) it’s about oviducts v Fallopian tubes or the bulbourethral gland v Cowperis gland in biology, which I’m familiar with. I think there was a post and comment thread about birds specifically in the last few days on Lemmy; same thing with people’s names being removed.

      • @confluence
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        81 year ago

        From what I’ve seen, a lot of the motivation to not have peoples’ names attached to things is because people have things attached to them (such as racism). Not saying that’s every case, but I’m sure that’s a significant factor behind the general push.

        • @Touching_Grass
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          21 year ago

          I fucking bet its really a chance for egotistical people to be able to put a names on things without having to discover new things.

          • @confluence
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            71 year ago

            Um. The names aren’t being replaced with other personal names, and even if they were, it’s certainly not with the names of the people doing the replacement.

            • @helpImTrappedOnline
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              21 year ago

              I think the point was they aren’t necessarily trying to replace names with their own, but they get the privilege to name it whatever they like and the name will be used until the next big wave of renaming things comes along.

              • @confluence
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                41 year ago

                Still an odd accusation to me… How does that privilege say anything about ego, given that history probably won’t remember the renamers specifically?

                • @helpImTrappedOnline
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                  1 year ago

                  It’s really dependent on the attitude of the renamers. Maybe they are honored for the privilege and take it seriously, others might think it’s their god given right to name things and fuck the old names. That last one may be a bit extreme, and without actually knowing these people, the best option is to just not give a fuck and move on with life.

  • @[email protected]
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    191 year ago

    I think they name bird like that so bird watching sound more fun to people who doesn’t know bird

    What are you doing in your spare time?

    I usually go to see booby and tit but sometimes dick and cock

  • Battle Masker
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    131 year ago

    not a naughty name, but I wonder what was the scientist who named “Yellow-bellied sapsucker” was going through

    • rockerface 🇺🇦
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      91 year ago

      That one at least makes sense, if they’re drinking tree sap and have yellow feathers on their belly

      • funkless
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        1 year ago

        I mean the other names make sense with additional context

        Both Tit- and Cock- as prefixes used to mean small (no laughing in the back, please)

        And Hoary means grey-haired or old-looking

        edit as I had to look this one up: “Booby” is an ellision of “Bobo” - as in “No seas tan bobo” (Spanish) - meaning “silly, naive, dumb…” as they tend to be quite tame birds

    • @Klear
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      61 year ago

      My favourite is the grey go-away-bird.

  • Mom Nom Mom
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    111 year ago

    Tufted titmice are among my favorite birds - and not just because I get to say “tit” in polite company… Also cockatoos and cockatiels.

      • Mom Nom Mom
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        71 year ago

        I thought the same about seagulls - dumb bird, you don’t live anywhere near the sea… I actually would call them “parking lot gulls”

        At least titmice have the decency to be cute!

  • @ieightpi
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    61 year ago

    Can we please pretty please name a bird officially Haught-Breasted Milph?

  • @[email protected]
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    1 year ago

    This even works across languages. In brazilian portuguese, a chick is called “Pinto” which is also a slang for dick.