Have you ever noticed when you read the articles from Seabrook Island Birders (SIB), the common names of birds are capitalized? The same is true with nearly every bird book, bird periodical or birding website. However, if you read articles in non-birding publications including print media, these same common names are not capitalized, unless a proper noun is within the name. So what’s the reason?
The American Ornithological Society’s North American Classification Committee (NACC) has long held responsibility for arbitrating the official names of birds that occur within its area of geographic coverage. According to their Guidelines for English Bird Names, “English names of birds are capitalized in keeping with standard ornithological practice. As noted by Parkes (1978), capitalization also prevents ambiguity between a species name and a description in such cases as “gray flycatcher” or “solitary sandpiper”.”
However, most media journalists use the guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style, which do not recognize the use of capitalization of a bird’s common name.
If I were to write yellow warbler, did I mean a small warbler with yellow (almost all of the warblers have some yellow) or did I mean the bird that is called a Yellow Warbler? See what I mean? I’m in total agreement with the use of capital letters for a bird’s common name. I feel it clarifies if we are speaking of a specific bird species versus a description of a bird.
Below is what Mike O’Connor wrote in response to this question when asked by one of his readers:
After many years of almost bloody fighting over that distinction most respected birding resources have taken the same path and are now capitalizing common names of birds (though the same thing hasn’t happened, at least not yet, with many other organisms such as mammals and plants). A few cases in point:
- Every one of my bird field guides, including Sibley, National Geographic, Audubon, and the American Museum of Natural History uses title case for bird common names.
- In 2014 Audubon magazine, after what has been described as a “blood bath” involving contentious editors, vice-presidents and ornithologists, adopted title case for their publications and websites.
- As far as I know all other bird oriented publications and organizations use title case for birds including Auk, The American Ornithological Society and others.
However at about the same time that Audubon decreed for title case Wikipedia chose the low road and went for sentence case for birds so that only confuses the matter.
Mike O’Connor, owner of the Birdwatcher’s General Store, Orleans, MA (full article)
What do you think? Leave us a comment to let us know!
Submitted by: Nancy Brown