Sweden Bird Names - The Swedish Ornithological Society has renamed several bird species and banned the use of their former names after a public outcry over the apparently racist and offensive names of the birds.
Up to 10 different bird species - including some known as 'negro,' 'Hottentot,' 'kaffer' and 'gypsy bird' - have been renamed. While the former names of the birds have been discarded, their new names have been selected carefully to ensure the public can still identify them easily.
For example, the bird known as 'negro' (or 'neger' in Swedish) has been renamed black (or 'svart' in Swedish) and the bird known as gypsy bird (or 'Zigenarfågel' in Swedish) has been given the name of a tropical pheasant ('hoatzin' in Swedish).
The racially offensive bird names in the Swedish lingua came to the attention of authorities while a comprehensive list of the names of birds found throughout the world was been compiled. The list, which was completed a few weeks ago, contains thousands of Swedish bird names for up to 10,709 different species.
Local sources say the issue has received little media coverage in the country. In contrast, the issue of the racially offensive Swedish bird names has made the headline across the world and sparked an outcry.
The Communications Officer at the Swedish Ornithological Society Anders Wirdheim told The Washington Post that the racist bird names are obviously outdated. According to Wirdheim, only a few bird names were found to be racially offensive and an overwhelming majority of the Swedish population have supported the idea to change the names of the birds.
Bird watching is not so popular in Sweden. Out of a country of an estimated 9.5 million, only 40,000 are reported to participate in bird watching. Winter is one of the peak seasons for bird watchers in the country, particularly in southern Sweden.
