Current Situation of Ornithology



Ornithology is the branch of science that deals with the study of birds. It may have some close attributes with other fields but some of its aspects may also differ partly because of the aesthetic appeal of the birds and the high visibility of its species. The history of ornithology has come a long way, but because there are many bird species that are not yet discovered, a lot of aspects remain open for new discoveries and research.

New things for ornithology began in 1994 when Frank Gill became the vice-president of Science at the National Audubon Society enabling Bob Ridgley to become the Director of the Center for Neotropical Ornithology at the academy. This further allowed Ridgely to complete his book, the ‘Birds of Ecuador’. The book is based on his discovery of the Jocotoco Antpitta or the Grallaria ridgely. With his discovery, Bob pursued the founding of the Jocotoco Foundation that deals with conservation of the birds in Ecuador.

In 1997, Leo Joseph makes his contribution to ornithology as a result of being hired as the Ornithology Curator. This opportunity paved the way for his innovative research on the molecular history of the birds. On the other hand, Nate Rice has his study of birds’ skin as well as his tissue collection. Recently, Rice conducted collecting expeditions in Africa and Australia. He was able to maintain a research program and develop his publication about the systematics of the different groups of suboscine passerines.

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