June 5, 2007 | Funny Bits

A cock by any other name

According to the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, male birds will now be referred to as ****s. It seems the correct term of  "cock" is just a little too racy for some people.

"It is not political correctness. The issue is words that can be used in an offensive context and we should not forget that the RSPB website has a massive viewing from children," argued a moderator for the site. "Pretty much all internet forums use the same or similar filters. It is far from an ideal situation but it is better to be safe than sorry."

Roosters will also be gagged to prevent the highly offensive '****-a-doodle-do' each morning.

• RSPB website bans use of the word 'cock' [The Telegraph]