In 1741, the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, part of a Russian expedition led by Vitus Bering to explore Alaska, became one of the first Europeans to set foot in the region. His time in the islands of the sea that now bears Bering's name was brief, but from a scientific perspective, quite fruitful. He described several species that were new to European science, including a jay, an eider, a sea eagle, and a sea lion, as well as a giant, manatee-like creature, which is now extinct. All of these creatures now bear his name - Steller's sea eagle, Steller's eider, Steller's sea cow, and so on.
(He is also the namesake of a supposed marine primate, the Steller's sea ape, which had never been seen before and had never been seen since, and quite possibly does not exist).
A very large number of animals are named after people. Sometimes it's the person who discovered them ("discovered" always being translated as "first European to scientifically describe them - in almost all cases, the indigenous people were well aware first). Or, they might be named to honor the collectors, or the patron of the collector, or someone that the person bestowing the name particular admired. Usually it's another scientist, but not always - Adelie penguin, for example, is named after Adele Dumont d'Urville, the wife of French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, who first discovered the species.
Georg Steller wasn't a bad guy - his sympathies for the oppressed native peoples of the region he explored actually got him into trouble with the Russian imperial authorities, indirectly leading to his death as he was dragged across Russia for hearings. Some of the folks who have birds or other animals named after them are more morally questionable. Some have imperial overtones. Some were slave-dealers, or fought to uphold slavery in the Confederacy. Some had pretty bad views of the subjects of race and human rights. Still, their names are enshrined in the halls of Ornithology.
There's a movement to change that. #birdnamesforbirds seeks to rename bird species that are named after humans - not just "bad" guys (in most terms "badness" is subjective - though Adolf Hitler does have a Slovenian cave beetle named after him). The arguments go beyond the question of who is or is not worthy of being honored with a species name. It's also suggested that naming animals after people is kind of useless - wouldn't it be better, the argument goes, to give names that are more descriptive? Instead, animals could be given names that describe their habitat, or their geographic range, or a noteworthy physical characteristic. In some cases, common names are already changing. The critically endangered bird that was once widely known as Edwards's pheasant is now increasingly being called the Vietnam pheasant in recognition of the fact that it is only found in Vietnam. Such a name change can help boost pride and awareness of the species (in this case, as conservationists push to make the pheasant Vietnam's national bird). Labelling the bird "Edwards's" doesn't tell you much about it.
Of course, these name changes only apply to common names, and many species have more than one common name, of varying usage. These "human bird names" will probably be with us forever in some form or another, though it is possible that alternative names may begin to replace them. Latin names (many of which also are used to honor humans) are almost impossible to change and will likely remain the same. Just ask Anophtalamus hitleri.
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