Haliaeetus leucocephalus washingtoniensis) that was based on a plagiarized image and fabricated data. Another of Audubon's new subspecies (northern Harris's hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi) was based on a stolen specimen.

Audubon has also been widely criticized for buying and selling slaves, bodysnatching, and trafficking Native American remains. As of 2025, more than two dozen regional Audubon societies across the United States have changed their names.