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Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds. It has also been an area with a large contribution made by amateurs in terms of time, resources, and financial support. Studies on birds have helped develop key concepts in biology including evolution, behaviour and ecology such as the definition of species, the process of speciation, instinct, learning, ecological niches, guilds, island biogeography, phylogeography, and conservation.
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by listening for bird sounds, or by watching public webcams.
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its members are primarily professional ornithologists, although membership is open to anyone with an interest in birds. The society publishes the two scholarly journals, Ornithology and Ornithological Applications as well as the AOS Checklist of North American Birds.
The American Birding Association (ABA) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, dedicated to recreational birding in Canada and the United States. It has been called "the standard-bearer for serious birding in North America." Originally concentrated on finding, listing, and identifying rare birds, the ABA now seeks to serve all birders with a wide range of services and publications.
Robert Ridgway was an American ornithologist specializing in systematics. He was appointed in 1880 by Spencer Fullerton Baird, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to be the first full-time curator of birds at the United States National Museum, a title he held until his death. In 1883, he helped found the American Ornithologists' Union, where he served as officer and journal editor. Ridgway was an outstanding descriptive taxonomist, capping his life work with The Birds of North and Middle America. In his lifetime, he was unmatched in the number of North American bird species that he described for science. As technical illustrator, Ridgway used his own paintings and outline drawings to complement his writing. He also published two books that systematized color names for describing birds, A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists (1886) and Color Standards and Color Nomenclature (1912). Ornithologists all over the world continue to cite Ridgway's color studies and books.
The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to no more than one living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was first awarded in 1975, to Robert Heinlein, and was renamed in 2002 for Damon Knight, the Association's founder, who had died that year.
David Allen Sibley is an American ornithologist. He is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds, which rivals Roger Tory Peterson's as the most comprehensive guides for North American ornithological field identification.
Bill Thompson III was the publisher and editor of Bird Watcher's Digest and the author of numerous books on birds and nature. He is also the author of Bird Watching For Dummies, and author of 18 different state bird watching books in the Bird Watching: A Year-Round Guide series from Cool Springs Press (2005). He is the lead author for Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges published by Houghton Mifflin (2005). He was the editor of All Things Reconsidered: My Birding Adventures by Roger Tory Peterson. His most recent book is "The New Birder's Guide to Birds of North America".
The Ludlow Griscom Award for Outstanding Contributions in Regional Ornithology is an award bestowed by the American Birding Association upon individuals who are determined to have "dramatically advanced the state of ornithological knowledge for a particular region," through long-term studies of status and distribution, the writing and/or publication of field guides to birds of a certain area, work as part of a breeding bird atlas project, through the publishing of academic papers on regional ornithology, or through their efforts in inspiring and teaching about the subject of birding.
The Isabelle Stevenson Award is a non-competitive philanthropic award presented as part of the Tony Awards to "recognize an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre." It is named for Isabelle Stevenson, a dancer who performed for audiences all round the world and was president and later chairperson of the board of the American Theatre Wing until her death in 2003. A single recipient is chosen by the Tony Award Administration Committee and may not be presented at every ceremony. The international press regards the Tony Awards as America's most prestigious theater awards.
The Dilys Breese Medal is a medal awarded by the British Trust for Ornithology to recognise communicators who help to deliver ornithological science to new audiences. It is named in memory of film maker Dilys Breese, who died in 2007, and was inaugurated in 2009, funded by a bequest from Breese. The medal features a design by Robert Gillmor, showing a robin in front of a TV screen.
Chandler Seymour Robbins was an American ornithologist. His contributions to the field include co-authorship of an influential field guide to birds, as well as organizing the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
The ABA Chandler Robbins Award for Education/Conservation is an award given by the American Birding Association to an individual who has made significant contributions either to the education of birders or to bird conservation and the "management or preservation of habitats on which birds and birding depends." The award may also recognize efforts in both fields.
The ABA Roger Tory Peterson Award for Promoting the Cause of Birding is an award given by the American Birding Association to an individual who, over the course of a lifetime, has advanced the cause of birding.
The ABA Claudia Wilds Award for Distinguished Service is an award given by the American Birding Association to a member who has given "long and useful service to the organization," either as a volunteer or as compensated staff, in recognition of the member's dedicated energy and years of service.
Nina Irene McClelland was an American chemist. She was dean emeritus and professor of chemistry at the University of Toledo.
Harold Ford Mayfield was an American business executive and amateur ornithologist who made a major study of Kirtland's warbler and worked for the preservation of their breeding areas. During his study of the warbler, he introduced a standardized measure of nesting success based on his professional experience in industry and from his training in mathematics. This method now widely known as the Mayfield Method involves probability calculations that take into account nests that the observer was unable to locate. Prior to his work, ornithologists used naïve approaches based on fractions of number of successful young or nests from a total of nests that they had found.
Keith Russell is an American ornithologist, birder, science communicator, and conservationist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a leading advocate of bird-safe glass and other methods for reducing mortality of migrating songbirds in urban environments. He is currently the program manager for urban conservation for Pennsylvania Audubon.
References
- ↑ American Birding Association. "ABA Awards" . Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ↑ American Birding Association. "ABA Award Recipients" . Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ↑ Pollick, Steve (2 June 2002). "Mayfield is honored again: Distinguished Toledo ornithologist to receive Ridgway Award". Toledo Blade. p. 17. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ↑ "Donald Kroodsma" . Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ↑ "BWD Editor Wins ABA Award" . Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ↑ "Three Rivers Birding Club: Bi-monthly Membership Meeting". 1 October 2008. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ↑ Pellien, Jessica (4 October 2012). "Richard Crossley receives the 2012 ABA Robert Ridgway Award..." Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ↑ Swick, Nate (2 March 2017). "Announcing the 2017 ABA Awards Recipients!". ABA Blog. American Birding Association. Retrieved 25 January 2018.