AFO grants & awards | Presenting the 2024 recipients of our largest grant, the Skutch Keystone Grant

|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 of up to $15,000 to research projects that study the life histories (especially social […] Read More

AFO grants & awards | Meet the 2024 Skutch Research Grants recipients!

We are proud to present the winners of the 2024 Skutch Research Grants! The Association of Field Ornithologists has a fellowship program aimed at supporting field researchers at all stages of their careers, including non-professional ornithologists. Formerly the Bergstrom Grants for Latin America (a mid-year round of the Bergstrom Grants), the Skutch Research Grants are […] Read More

AFO meetings | AFO-SCO-WOS 2024 joint meeting recap

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

AFO grants & awards | 2024 Bergstrom Grants recipients!

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

AFO news | Three professional societies unite on National Science Foundation grant in effort to increase access and inclusivity in ornithology

The landscape of science is changing: People from increasingly varied backgrounds, identities, cultures, and genders are pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Support for this more diverse population of scientists needs to extend beyond “one size fits all” to better meet the needs of today’s scientists. Expanding support and strengthening the sense of community for individuals […] Read More

AFO grants & awards | Grass Wrens in the Uspallata Valley: notes from a Bergstrom Award recipient

I studied the Grass Wren in the Uspallata Valley, Mendoza, Argentina, at the foothills of the magnificent Central Andes Mountains. A beautiful setting where there are grassland patches associated with riverbeds in which the Grass Wrens breed and reside all year round. The development of my PhD thesis involved fieldwork during four months and three breeding seasons... Read More

AFO grants & awards | Bergstrom Award helps Ph.D. student with research on threatened grassland birds in Argentina

When I was awarded my Ph.D. grant I was filled with excitement and joy as I would be able to study some of the most iconic bird species of northeastern Argentina’s vast grasslands: the Strange-tailed Tyrant (Alectrurus risora), the Black-and-white Monjita (Xolmis dominicanus), the Tawny-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila hypoxantha), and the recently described Iberá Seedeater (S. iberaensis). Read More