The Association of Field Ornithologists has a fellowship program aimed at supporting field researchers at all stages of their careers, including non-professional ornithologists.
The Skutch Keystone Grant is the largest grant within this program. Every year we award one or two grants of up to $15,000 USD to research projects that study the life histories of little-known birds of the continental Neotropics.
We are proud to present this year’s awardees!
The recipients of this year’s Skutch Keystone Grant are:
Kristina Cockle
ARGENTINA
Instituto de Biología Subtropical
CONICET-UNaM
Fecundity tradeoffs of uniparental care in tree-cavity-nesting, insectivorous Furnariidae
Lorena Cruz Bernate
COLOMBIA
Laboratorio de Ornitología-OYCA
Universidad del Valle, Cali
Aspectos de la Historia Natural del Habia Copetona (Driophlox cristata): Una Especie Tropical Endemica de Colombia
Vanessa Salas
VENEZUELA
Global Owl Project
Red Venezolana de Profesionales por la Naturaleza (Akehe)
Centro de Investigaciones en Ecología y Zonas Áridas (CIEZA) de la UNEFM
Análisis comparativo de la actividad reproductiva y características de anidación de Athene cunicularia en ambientes intervenidos y no intervenidos en Venezuela
Congratulations, Kristina, Lorena and Vanessa! We wish you the best with your research, and invite you to publish in the Journal of Field Ornithology when you are finished.
If you want to apply for a Skutch Keystone Grant, click here and follow the application instructions. Applications for the 2026 round will open in March 15, 2026.
Header photo: Lesser Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus fuscus) by LeoMercon | Getty Images.