The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has banned the word for male birds from its website, drawing accusations of political correctness gone mad. Visitors to the website found the word "cock" had been replaced by asterisks, while the species, tit, suffered no such indignity. Forum user John D, of Yorkshire, told The Sun: "As bird lovers will know, a Parus Major is a great tit and while cocks do not get past the forum censor, tits do not cause offence. I've heard of PC but that is taking things too far." A worker claimed the word had been replaced because of software filters but an RSPB spokesman said it preferred to describe birds as either male or female.
Red Symons interviewed the spokesman on the abc this morning down here. I think he only did it though as an excuse to say tit, cock, shag, and boobie on the radio.
They need to be careful with this type of censorship. What will now become of a congress of crows, a fling of dunlin and a fluck of seagulls? I guess swallows, shags, goose and thrush will have to be renamed, the woodcock will become extinct and anything listed as breasted will become torso. Sounds like alotta bird droppings to me.
