Passenger pigeons once darkened the sky, now they're just a footnote. These are the birds I never had the chance to see.

Since 1886, the American Ornithological Society and its predecessor organization have maintained a list of common, English bird names in North America.

Ornithologists and amateur birders alike have long wrestled with the historical nature of bird names bestowed by early collectors.

As society continues to reckon with the country's history, names are being changed all across the US: mascots, schools, and more. The latest: birds.

(RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) Birds in North America will no longer be named after people, the American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday.

"Anna's hummingbird" is one of 60-70 birds in North America slated to be renamed. Anna's Hummingbird, Gambel's Quail, Lewis's Woodpecker, Bewick's Wren and Bullock's Oriole are just a few of the ...

Animalia 75 percent of North America’s bird species are in decline, study says Birds are rapidly vanishing from North America, with dramatic population losses in places that were once thought safe.

The name change will be coming to many North American birds with human names like Anna’s Hummingbird and Harris’s Hawk.

Birds in North America will no longer be named after people, the American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday.

This includes changing all English-language names of birds within its geographic jurisdiction named directly after people or other names that are deemed “offensive and exclusionary”.

Zak Pohlen/Associated Press Birds in North America will no longer be named after people, the American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday.

The American Ornithological Society and its predecessor organization have maintained a list of the official English-language names for birds in North America since 1886.