{"id":118315,"date":"2023-11-17T04:55:53","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T11:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=118315"},"modified":"2023-11-17T12:13:02","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T19:13:02","slug":"autumn-snipe-photos-and-common-name-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/11\/17\/autumn-snipe-photos-and-common-name-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Autumn Snipe Photos And Common Name Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last time I visited Bear River MBR, I took quite a few photos of Wilson’s Snipes. I also wondered what the new name for this snipe species will soon be.<\/p>\n

\"Wilson'sWilson’s Snipe peeking out of some grasses \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

On November 1st, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) announced its intention to change all English-language names of birds<\/span><\/a> within its geographic jurisdiction that are directly named after people. Wilson’s Snipes are among the birds whose common names will be changing in 2024.<\/p>\n

I support the decision of the AOS<\/span><\/a>. I think it is long past time to do away with honorary, eponymous names.<\/p>\n

\"Thick-billed<\/p>\n

I’ve seen arguments against the names changes for various reasons, one of which is the concern that “history will be lost.”<\/p>\n

I sincerely doubt this will be the case. See the above screenshot of the Thick-billed Longspur<\/span><\/a> Wikipedia page. The name of this species used to be McCown’s Longspur, named after a Confederate officer.<\/p>\n

The history of this bird’s common name is still on Wikipedia.\u00a0 Additionally, ornithological societies will likely continue to retain the history of species’ names undergoing changes. I know I’ve seen those name change histories when I have done research on birds.<\/p>\n

\"Wilson'sWilson’s Snipe foraging in shallow water \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/500, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, the Wilson’s Snipe was once classified as a subspecies of the Common Snipe. Even today, some individuals in North America refer to it as the Common Snipe, which is a European\/Asian shorebird; however, this is not its current common name, as the Wilson’s Snipe is recognized as its own distinct North American species and has been since 2003.<\/p>\n

\"AutumnAutumn Wilson’s Snipe at Bear River MBR \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/500, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Personally, I would prefer the common name for this shorebird to become Marsh Snipe because that is where I most often find them. Another name could be Winnowing Snipe for their winnowing behavior. Or Wetlands Snipe, but Marsh Snipe has a better ring to it. I hope this species doesn’t get named American Snipe, even though they can be found throughout most of North and Central America, and a few areas of northern South America.<\/p>\n

I’m looking forward to seeing what this shorebird species’ new name will be in 2024.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Wilson\u2019s Snipes photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last time I visited Bear River MBR, I took quite a few photos of Wilson’s Snipes. I also wondered what the new name for this snipe species will soon be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[124,27,1148,26,4795],"tags":[4004,5616,5620,970,4142,4620,4136,4797,4109,4094,5267,6750,4046,1735,274,4798,5579,3996,4095,4796],"class_list":["post-118315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","category-wilsons-snipes","tag-adult","tag-american-ornithological-society","tag-aos","tag-autumn","tag-close-up","tag-fall","tag-foraging","tag-gallinago-delicata","tag-grasses","tag-marsh","tag-name-change","tag-peeking","tag-portrait","tag-shallow","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-snipe","tag-snipes","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-wilsons-snipe"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t