Stephanie Tyler | |
---|---|
Born | Lincolnshire, England |
Academic background | |
Education | University of Cambridge (BA, PhD) |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Thesis | Free-range ponies in the New Forest |
Doctoral advisor | Robert Hinde |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Zoology |
Stephanie Joy Tyler MBE ,also known as Steph Tyler,is a British ornithologist,zoologist,naturalist,conservationist,and author from Monmouthshire. She is particularly known for her work on Dippers and the preservation of river habitats. [1]
Tyler gained her PhD in Zoology at University of Cambridge,where she also met and married Lindsay Tyler,a veterinarian. Tyler's doctoral thesis was on the free-range ponies in the New Forest. [2] Following her marriage,Tyler moved with her family to Wiltshire where she conducted a study of the area's Grey Wagtails and became the most prolific female British bird ringer. [3] [4] The Tyler family moved first to the United Arab Emirates and then to Ethiopia in 1973. [5]
In Ethiopia Tyler continued her work on bird ringing and made monthly contributions to the newsletter of the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society. Tyler also provided articles and illustrations for the conservation journal Agazen,which was used in around 2,000 schools in Ethiopia. [5] The Tylers also led natural history tours of the area. Tyler also returned to her work on Wagtails funded by the British Ornithological Union and investigated ecological factors that affected the distribution of both local and migratory birds in Ethiopia. [5]
From May 1976,Tyler,together with her husband and two children,were held captive for 8 months by rebels in Tigray. Despite considerable hardship,Tyler continued to make observations of local bird-life and has credited her ornithological skills with helping her family to cope with captivity. Her observations were published in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. [5] [6]
On her return to the UK,Tyler and her family moved to Monmouthshire where Tyler worked for Gwent Wildlife Trust and then the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as the Conservation Officer for Wales. From the 1980s,Tyler was a committee member of Gwent Ornithological Society,regional representative for the British Trust for Ornithology,and joint plant recorder for Monmouthshire for the South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre. [7] [8]
In the 1990s,Tyler spent five years in Botswana where she worked on nest card-filling for the new BirdLife Botswana. [9] [10]
Tyler was a Trustee of the Welsh Ornithological Society for eight years (2008–2015) [7] and is currently[ when? ] the chair of the Monmouthshire Meadows Group. [11]
Tyler was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to nature conservation in the UK and Africa. [12]
In 2023 she was awarded the Bernard Tucker Medal of the British Trust for Ornithology. [13]
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5.5 cm (2.2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.8 m common ostrich. There are over 11,000 living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have wings whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. The study of birds is called ornithology.
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.
Dippers are members of the genus Cinclus in the bird family Cinclidae, so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.
The white-throated dipper, also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspecies, based primarily on colour differences, particularly of the pectoral band.
The white-capped dipper is an aquatic passerine found in South America. It is a small black bird with white spots. It is found in the Andes from northern Bolivia, through Peru, Ecuador, Colombia to northwest Venezuela.
The brown dipper, also known as Pallas's dipper, Asian dipper or the Asiatic dipper, is an aquatic songbird found in the mountains of the east Palearctic. It is a thrush-like bird with a cocked tail. Its plumage is chocolate-brown with a slightly lighter coloured back and breast. At 22 cm (8.7 in) and 87 g (3.1 oz), it is the largest of the dippers. This species, which is not often seen, is found at medium to low elevations where mountain streams flow.
Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south, along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by humans, and is driven primarily by the availability of food. It occurs mainly in the northern hemisphere, where birds are funnelled onto specific routes by natural barriers such as the Mediterranean Sea or the Caribbean Sea.
The cuckoo, common cuckoo, European cuckoo or Eurasian cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
Struthionidae is a family of flightless birds, containing the extant ostriches and their extinct relatives. The two extant species of ostrich are the common ostrich and Somali ostrich, both in the genus Struthio, which also contains several species known from Holocene fossils such as the Asian ostrich. The common ostrich is the more widespread of the two living species, and is the largest living bird species. The extinct genus Pachystruthio from the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene of Eurasia is one of the largest birds ever.
The white wagtail is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. In Ireland and Great Britain, the darker subspecies, the pied wagtail or water wagtail predominates; this is also called in Ireland willie wagtail, not to be confused with the Australian species Rhipidura leucophrys which bears the same common name. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies of M. alba.
The grey wagtail is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. Breeding males have a black throat. The species is widely distributed, with several populations breeding in Eurosiberia and migrating to tropical regions in Asia and Africa. The species is always associated with running water when breeding, although they may use man-made structures near streams for the nest. Outside the breeding season, they may also be seen around lakes, coasts and other watery habitats. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight.
The European rock pipit, or simply rock pipit, is a species of small passerine bird that breeds in western Europe on rocky coasts. It has streaked greyish-brown upperparts and buff underparts, and is similar in appearance to other European pipits. There are three subspecies, of which only the Fennoscandian one is migratory, wintering in shoreline habitats further south in Europe. The European rock pipit is territorial at least in the breeding season, and year-round where it is resident. Males will sometimes enter an adjacent territory to assist the resident in repelling an intruder, behaviour only otherwise known from the African fiddler crab.
The Cape vulture, also known as Cape griffon and Kolbe's vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to southern Africa, and lives mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and in some parts of northern Namibia. It nests on cliffs and lays one egg per year. In 2015, it had been classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, but was down-listed to Vulnerable in 2021 as some populations increased and have been stable since about 2016.
Ostriches are large flightless birds. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145 kilograms and laying the largest eggs of any living land animal. With the ability to run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph), they are the fastest birds on land. They are farmed worldwide, with significant industries in the Philippines and in Namibia. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for the decoration of ceremonial headgear. Ostrich eggs have been used by humans for millennia.
The pink-billed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. It is described as having a low breeding success rate.
The fiery-necked nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, which is found mostly in Africa south of the equator, though it has been spotted in a few countries north of the equator. It is most often found in woodland savannas or other deciduous woodlands. It is usually distinguished by its tawny coloured collar which gives the species its common name. It has a distinctive call that many have rendered as 'good-lord-deliver-us'. The fiery-necked nightjar is an insectivorous species that mostly eats butterflies, moths and other insects. The fiery-necked nightjar breeds after the dry season and typically produce two clutches with two eggs per clutch.
The African pied wagtail, or African wagtail, is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae.
Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology is a journal of African ornithology published by BirdLife South Africa, formerly the South African Ornithological Society, in association with the National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC) and Taylor & Francis. It contains papers on the birds of Africa and its islands, including peer-reviewed original scientific papers of 3000 to 5,000 words, short articles of up to 3000 words, perspectives, commentaries and reviews. Topics include behaviour, breeding, biology, conservation, ecology, migrations, movements and systematics. This is a hybrid journal: offering open access publishing, but also following the standard publishing model without charges to authors.
Stephen "Steve" J. OrmerodFCIEEM, is a professor of ecology and former Chair of the Council of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity.
The Masai ostrich, also known as the East African ostrich is a red-necked subspecies variety of the common ostrich and is endemic to East Africa. It is one of the largest birds in the world, second only to its sister subspecies Struthio camelus camelus. Today it is hunted and farmed for eggs, meat, and feathers.