Questions still surround the possible name change of Bermuda’s bird-watching group as controversy continues over the same issue in the US.

The debate over removing the name Audubon resurfaced after Christian Cooper, a Black birdwatcher who went viral in 2020 when he was harassed by a White woman in Central Park, wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post about the US National Audubon Society deciding to keep its name. The piece appears in today’s Royal Gazette.

“Audubon” comes from John James Audubon, a 19th-century French-American naturalist and enslaver best known for his colour-plate book The Birds of America.

The Bermuda Audubon Society did not respond in time for publication when yesterday asked if they would remove “Audubon” from the group’s name.

It is understood that debate about its removal are still continuing within the society.

The Royal Gazettespoke to the group last August and Janice Hetzel, the executive director of the society, said that it would seek input from its membership and the wider public.

She said at the time: “I think we are now in a time where we need to examine the full backgrounds and not just the myths of our historical figures.

“Many of them have been given recognition or held in high esteem for their positive contributions. Unfortunately, many of these same individuals have done things that we would consider to be unjust or immoral.”

Several birdwatching societies in the US have removed the word Audubon from their names.

Despite this, their umbrella group, the National Audubon Society, last month decided to keep the name.

But Mr Cooper said that the name did not reflect the diversity within the birdwatching community, and refusal to adapt would cause birdwatching numbers to shrink.

He wrote in his op-ed: “If we fail to engage new audiences with the natural world — if concern for the welfare of our wild birds is perceived as something for ‘Whites only’ — then only a dwindling group of Americans will fight for the birds.”

Mr Cooper added: “Simply put, no matter what your racial or ethnic background, if we as advocates for the wild want to guarantee a future with a healthy diversity of birds, then we must foster a healthy diversity of people who value them.

“It is essential to the core mission. The name ‘Audubon’ is becoming an impediment to achieving it.”