Image: Yellow-billed Cuckoos, John James Audubon

The Audubon Name

John James Audubon was a naturalist and painter who made major contributions to North American ornithology, especially through the text and paintings in his book, The Birds of America (1827–1839), that included 25 previously undescribed species. He also conducted the first known bird-banding experiment in North America, tying strings around the legs of Eastern Phoebes. He learned that the birds returned to the same nesting sites each year.

Audubon’s contributions to ornithology, art, and culture are enormous, but he was a complex and troubling figure. He enslaved Black people. He collected human remains and sent the skulls to a colleague who used them in now-discredited research asserting that Whites were superior to non-Whites. Audubon almost certainly committed both academic fraud and plagiarism by painting a bird that does not exist based on another artist’s painting and using it to stimulate interest in The Birds of America. 

In recent years, as birdwatching and interest in nature have begun to attract increasingly diverse audiences, there have been growing objections to continuing to honor Audubon as the namesake for organizations that promote and protect birds and nature. Some leading birders and commentators advocate a change of name to remove the taint of racism from the study of birds that they care about passionately. National Audubon Society decided, after more than a year of study, not to change its name. However, it has stated that its local chapters are free to change theirs, and a number have done so or are in the process of doing so. As a local chapter of National Audubon, ASNV is evaluating this question.

Continuing to include “Audubon” in our chapter’s name may adversely affect our ability to accomplish our mission of engaging the many diverse northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. Also, nearly 200 years after Audubon completed The Birds of America, his contributions to ornithology may be less relevant to our chapter’s work, which includes not just birds but a broader interest in preservation of wildlife habitat and other environmental issues. On the other hand, the broad name recognition of “Audubon” and its link to environmental issues, especially birds, may support retaining “Audubon” in our chapter’s name. 

You can read more about the issue of retaining the “Audubon” name here:

Audubon Magazine, “What do we do about John James Audubon” by J. Drew Lanham (Spring 2021)

Washington Post, Opinion: “Why the National Audubon Society must change its name” by Christian Cooper (April 4, 2023)