I was just wondering...if you take a photo of a bird that you can't tell is a male or female, do you refer to him/her/it as him, her, it or him/her? There's probably no correct answer to this, but sense there are alot more knowledgeable birders here than I, I was just curious if there is a preference.
If I know it is a male or a female I usually indicate that but in some species it is nearly impossible to tell the gender, Willets for instance. Sometimes the gender can not be determined unless the bird is "in hand". I say "the bird", the Willet", or "it". I've heard "he" used a lot with raptors, perhaps because they are thought to be more masculine, but sometimes those "he's" are really "she's". The same with daintier birds, I often hear them referred to as "she's"
Since the Avian critique forum isn't just about the techs, comp and but also about the birds and their ID's I believe it is important for all avian members; especially for the sake of members new to birds, to not call a bird a he or a she unless that is actually the case otherwise the new members or viewers might mistakenly identify the gender by what is posted here, a prominent bird photography site.
Mia has covered my position very well. I see no reason to "invent" information about a bird when it is not possible to know - the honest thing to do is not assign sex when it is not something that can be determined from appearance alone.
The same principle applies to behavior - we shouldn't make up "facts" about what a bird is doing, or why it is doing something, without some good evidence to support the statement.
Nature subjects are quite interesting in and of themselves without the need to assign gender or motive when we really don't know.
I guess I'm especially guilty! I call most birds "guys" - as in, "great shot of this guy!" whether they are male or female or unknown.
I do this with female friends too : "Why don't you guys meet us at 3.."
I'll be better!
Sandy
A lot of us are guilty of assigning "he" or "she" to birds and animals as we refer to them. But acceptable English requires such reference be made as, "it" or "its", unless the animal or bird or fish, whatever, has been named by a person. In other words, if you call your dog. "Thor", it is then acceptable to refer to Thor as a "he".
Mia and Richard: I totally agree that it is not good to make up information about a bird. I guess that is what caused me to ask this question as it seems that many people (including myself) are calling birds he or she when it doesn't seem that it is possible to know if it is a he or a she. I'll be careful about my terminology in the future.
Wayne: Thanks for the English lesson. I think I remember learning that in school so many years ago, but obviously that compartment of my brain needs a good dusting!
Discussion
5 repliesIf I know it is a male or a female I usually indicate that but in some species it is nearly impossible to tell the gender, Willets for instance. Sometimes the gender can not be determined unless the bird is "in hand". I say "the bird", the Willet", or "it". I've heard "he" used a lot with raptors, perhaps because they are thought to be more masculine, but sometimes those "he's" are really "she's". The same with daintier birds, I often hear them referred to as "she's"
Since the Avian critique forum isn't just about the techs, comp and but also about the birds and their ID's I believe it is important for all avian members; especially for the sake of members new to birds, to not call a bird a he or a she unless that is actually the case otherwise the new members or viewers might mistakenly identify the gender by what is posted here, a prominent bird photography site.
The same principle applies to behavior - we shouldn't make up "facts" about what a bird is doing, or why it is doing something, without some good evidence to support the statement.
Nature subjects are quite interesting in and of themselves without the need to assign gender or motive when we really don't know.
I do this with female friends too : "Why don't you guys meet us at 3.."
I'll be better!
Sandy
Mia and Richard: I totally agree that it is not good to make up information about a bird. I guess that is what caused me to ask this question as it seems that many people (including myself) are calling birds he or she when it doesn't seem that it is possible to know if it is a he or a she. I'll be careful about my terminology in the future.
Wayne: Thanks for the English lesson. I think I remember learning that in school so many years ago, but obviously that compartment of my brain needs a good dusting!