Lists

Six Birds Up for a Renaming

October 1, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

With the United States apparently entering a period of renewed interest in putting its name on things, some birds may also end up getting US citizenship. Here are six promising candidates.

The Mexican Duck occurs in Mexico, but also in the United States, with a small but established range in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. While Cornell estimates that about 98% of the global population is in Mexico, this should not be an excuse to deny US citizenship to the species.

The Mexican Jay is widespread in Mexico but has substantial populations in southeastern Arizona, New Mexico, and the Big Bend region of Texas.

The Mexican Chickadee also has a genuine, though tiny, US range, occurring in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona and the Animas Mountains of New Mexico.

So:

Mexican Duck —> American Duck
Mexican Jay —> American Jay
Mexican Chickadee —> American Chickadee

Let’s not forget the unfortunate species in the North that so far have been unfairly denied US citizenship.

The Canada Goose is one of the most familiar birds in the United States and occurs extensively across the country.

The Canada Warbler breeds in Canada but also breeds well into the United States, including the Great Lakes, northeastern states, and the Appalachians as far south as Tennessee and Georgia.

The Canada Jay occurs in both countries, with its range extending well into the northern United States. It has also already been renamed once: the US name Gray Jay was changed back to Canada Jay in 2018.

So, again, justice for these birds:

Canada Goose —> American Goose
Canada Warbler —> American Warbler
Canada Jay —> American Jay

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.