[Tweeters] Please decode your acronyms

[Robert O'Brien via Tweeters]

Sorry to comment from another state, but I feel strongly about this.  And
I'll just state my position with little defense.  Choose what you wish.
After changing zillions of bird names (I'm not using the E-word, also
exclusive) after historical figures for greater inclusion, now many are
saying, in effect,* just learn 4-letter codes* is about as exclusive as I
can think of.  It speaks of initiation,even hazing, of people who might
have some interest in birds. Learn up first, then read Tweeters.
On the other hand, I'm willing to go with the suggestion of first naming
the bird's English Name (which in many cases will soon change and not be
recognizable, even to experienced birders.  with the 4-letter code,
following, all caps, in parentheses.  This will help modestly interested
birders know the subject of later codes, and learn it if so inclined.  I
see NO REASON that they should even ha have to contemplate 'learning them'.
Bob OBrien  Portland  (Birding 73 years now and knowing all the codes).

P.S.   Someone in this thread, as I recall, said the 4-letter codes will
NOT CHANGE.  In my opinion, if true, this is the craziest thing yet,  now
the words will become pure memorization with no logical significance.
Unless, they change, for instance, Anna's Hummingbird becomes Anomalous
Hummingbird (for the male's Dive/Chirp breeding performance which I believe
is unique.  Even then I PREFER TO STICK WITH
Anna's..........................

P.P.S    Going forward, and guessing the 4-letter code for a species, is
pretty easy to decipher  Anna's Hummingbird = ANHU ;  Rough-legged Hawk =
RLHA.  Those who use them have it easy.  Going backwards from a code is NOT
SO EASY.  And that's what the current problem is.Thanks to the person who
objected to this.  I heartily agree with her.
.





On Fri, Feb 13, 2026 at 6:27 PM HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:


> My Dad used to say that you could tell how long someone had been birding

> by what you called something.  Just run through the old (really old) such

> as first edition Peterson and earlier and see what things were called.

> Change always makes life "fun".

>

> Hal Michael

> Board of Directors, Ecologists Without Borders <http://ecowb.org/>

> Olympia WA

> 360-459-4005

> 360-791-7702 (C)

> ucd880 at comcast.net

>

>

>

> On 02/13/2026 6:18 PM PST Dennis Paulson via Tweeters <

> tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

>

>

> Just to clarify a little more, the Eurasian Goshawk is now *Astur

> gentilis*, and our Cooper’s Hawk is *Astur cooperii*. There are other

> species of *Astur* and *Accipiter* scattered around the world, as genetic

> work probed into the classification and found that there were two groups of

> accipiters that warranted being in two different genera.

>

> And I’m all for using the four-letter codes, as long as people are

> introduced to them, as others have said, so as not to be confusing. Writing

> Short-eared Owl (SEOW), then going on to use the acronym in further

> writing, seems a fine way to go.

>

> I have to add that I’m used to common and scientific names changing, but

> when four-letter codes change, I come up with a few four-letter words

> myself! Think of years of field notes taken using the four-letter codes.

>

> Dennis Paulson

> Seattle

> dennispaulson at comcast dot net

>

>

> On Feb 13, 2026, at 5:08 PM, qblater via Tweeters <

> tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> 4 letter codes are also a way to keep current on your classification

> For example

>

> AMGO  is no more

> Now

>

>

>

> American Goldfinch AGOL* Spinus tristis SPITRI

> American Goshawk AGOS* Astur atricapillus ASTATR

> Why?

>

>

>  July of this year, the American Ornithological Society decided to go

> along with the overwhelming evidence that most goshawks in North America

> are not closely related to most goshawks in Europe and Asia, voting to

> split the Northern Goshawk into the American Goshawk and the Eurasian

> Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis).N

>

> Clarice Clark

>

> On Feb 13, 2026, at 2:43 PM, Steve Loitz via Tweeters <

> tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

>

> Are you referring to 4-letter Alpha Codes? If so, IME, Alpha Codes can be

> part of the fun for a new birder, and for some it may actually enhance

> learning. We have a couple new birders in our local chapter who enjoy

> calling out "AMKE," "TUVU," "AMGO," etc. on our field trips. I refer them

> to this: https://www.birdpop.org/docs/misc/Alpha_codes_eng.pdf

>

> Steve Loitz

> Ellensburg

>

>

>

> On Fri, Feb 13, 2026 at 2:12 PM Ted Ryan via Tweeters <

> tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

>

> I think there is a balance here to consider.  On the one hand, we don't

> want to make it overly burdensome for a new birder to participate.  On the

> other hand, I don't think new folks to a hobby should expect no barriers

> with regards to nomenclature.  All hobbies have acronyms and words that we

> have to learn.  That's part of the hobby, that's part of the experience and

> it's inescapable.  I think the OP will find that learning the acronyms will

> aid in your enjoyment.

>

> Besides, If we remove such things than all birds are just LBJ's and where

> does that get us?

>

> Ted Ryan

> South Kitsap, WA

>

>

>

> As do basically all newer birders. As someone who?s worked with newer

> birders a lot over the years (I ran the Santa Clara County version of

> tweeters for over a decade, among other things) I?ve talked to and worked

> a

> lot with our less senior partners, and when two senior birders start

> chattering in this shorthand, it tends to make them feel excluded and

> intimidated. It?s not a welcoming thing to birders trying to grow into

> their adult feathers.

>

> Because of that, I stopped using the acronyms in casual communications

> where the new birders will be looking in long ago (or I?m careful  to

> always put the term in context in the note) and I generally discouraged

> random use of them in open forums like this. And I think, if you want new

> birders to feel part of our community and grow up to be more senior

> birders

> along with us, that we do so as well.

>

> Chuq

>

>

>

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>

> --

> Steve Loitz

> Ellensburg, WA

> steveloitz at gmail.com

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