With the publication of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa (VIIth Edition) in 2005 a huge controversy was sparked over the introduction of the "new" bird names (some of which were in fact not "new" at all but reversions to names that had been in use more than fifty years earlier). While some of the name changes came about through reclassification of species, many were changed to conform to the common names used elsewhere in the world. Howls of protest went on for months and it was impossible to find a birding magazine or bird club journal without a host of indignant letters to the editor complaining about the changes. I must admit that I was one of those who could not see the necessity for some of the changes - if one of our rivers can have a variety of names (Mashi, Kwando, Linyanti, Chobe) depending on where one is why should we be forced to conform to the common names of bird species used in east Africa and elsewhere?