Don Baccus wrote:

<I write for the oregonian on natural history (very) occasionally,
<as well as other places, and I can never decide how to
<present bird names: capitalized or not.

There have been some good responses to this, and it is obviously not a
simple matter. However, I suggest that we all go for the "first letter
upper case, except after an apostrophe". e.g. Purple Martin, Yellow-eyed
Junco. I've just recommended this system for a series of publications under
"Naturescape British Columbia", a provincial government program to encourage
the stewardship of backyard wildlife here in BC. My reasons are many, but
the main one is to educate people to the currently accepted common names of
birds, as they appear on the AOU list. Communications will improve if we
all use the same language, as will our records of bird distribution and
movements. Certainly, common names will change with time and with "lumping
and splitting", but they are standards to which we can adhere for now.

For example, the average non-birder may think, when reading "tree sparrow",
that any sparrow (or any small bird, for that matter) in a tree will
qualify. The same with "marsh wren". The problem with "little gull"
has been pointed out and is obvious ("..three little gulls...and a big
gull?"). Might some novice birders assume that a comma was left out when
reading: "We saw a lark sparrow and bushtit today". (Come to think of it,
capitals may not help that one). And think of the mixed message reaching our
immigrants from Britain when, after learning about all of the things they can
do to create habitat on their property, they read: "And after all of your
hard work, you might be fortunate enough to find a ruddy duck on your pond"?

There are more, I am sure.

Bryan Gates, Victoria
bgates at assessment.env.gov.bc.ca