In an effort to make our Journal of Field Ornithology more inclusive, the abstracts of all published articles are presented in English and Spanish. At the end of 2023, we noticed we needed some extra help with the translation of the abstracts, so we put out a call for volunteers to translate. 33 people from […]Read More
As someone who works in the realm of Bald Eagle conservation, I found Jack Davis's book, "The Bald Eagle," to be an inspiring reminder of the tremendous efforts made to save this iconic symbol of America from the brink of extinction. The author engages readers with a wealth of information on the Bald Eagle's biology, behavior, and ecology. From their nesting habits to their hunting prowess, Davis paints a vivid picture of these incredible birds, fostering a deep appreciation for their place in the natural world. Read More
Fruit-eating birds of tropical canopies are often large, garish, and loud, but just out of reach for ornithologists. In 1993, my advisor, Dr. Tom Smith, trekked through the rainforests of southern Cameroon with Baka and Badwe’e forest guides hoping to learn more about the movement patterns and diet of hornbills—large, fruit-eating birds thought to be keystone seed dispersers of Central African rainforests.Read More
Scientific bird banding has been paramount for the development of ornithological research. In North America and Europe, the implementation of this standardized methodology in longstanding monitoring efforts (constant-effort bird banding stations) has provided deep insights into basic life-history aspects of bird species. In contrast, the southern region of the Neotropics historically lacked such efforts. This has delayed...Read More
The Ornithological Council is pleased to provide this bimonthly report covering activities in July and August 2024. Over the last two months, Ornithological Council staff:
1. Met with the Chief of the USGS Bird Banding Lab, in a quarterly meeting to discuss issues of mutual interest.
2. Met with USFWS Migratory Birds Program Headquarters Liaison to Regional Migratory Bird Permit Offices, to discuss current permitting issues.
3. Continued work on a template field study policy for IACUCs to adopt. In response to many inquiries ...Read More
At 19 x 24 cm (7.5 x 9.5 inches), 202 pages, and covering just 19 species, Terns of North America: A Photographic Guide, by Cameron Cox, is not a field guide. Neither is it a handbook, as it generally lacks detailed quantitative data and literature citations within the text (but see below). In some ways, it resembles a coffee table book, and its abundant and uniformly superb photos reward even casual browsing. But it is much more than that. Closer examination of this attractive volume reveals that...Read More
Welcome! Between July 29 and August 1, 2024, AFO held its annual meeting jointly with its sister societies, the Wilson Ornithological Society and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists in Peoria, Illinois. Nothing like three full days of fabulous research, learning, and camaraderie to unite and strengthen our ornithological community! Plenaries and talks Each date began with […]Read More
"This is the most challenging book I've ever tried to write," Kenn Kaufman candidly admits in The Birds That Audubon Missed (371). As a reviewer, I empathize; it's also challenging to review. Wide-ranging in scope, it defies easy categorization, existing as history, biography, natural history, literary criticism, memoir, meditation, and travelogue, with frequent discourses on topics such as systematics and taxonomy,...Read More
We are proud to present the winners of the Bergstrom Grants 2024! Did you know? The Association of Field Ornithologists has a fellowship program aimed at supporting field researchers at all stages of their careers, including non-professional ornithologists. Recently, AFO undertook a reorganization of its fellowship program. A mid-year round of the Bergstrom Grants was […]Read More
Each year, at our annual conference, we announce the Best Student Presentation Awards. These awards seek to recognize outstanding oral and poster presentations. Students at every level are eligible for these awards. The level of research presented this past August at our AFO-SCO-WOS joint meeting was so high, we had a hard time choosing the […]Read More