The ABA Claudia Wilds Award for Distinguished Service is an

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

given by the

American Birding Association The American Birding Association (ABA) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, dedicated to recreational birdwatching, birding in Canada and the United States. It has been called "the standard-bearer for serious birding in North America." ...

to a member who has given "long and useful service to the organization," either as a volunteer or as compensated staff, in recognition of the member's dedicated energy and years of service. One of five awards presented by the ABA for contributions to birding, the award is named in honor of Claudia Wilds (1931-1997), who made many contributions to

ornithology Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

and the ABA. Wilds was author of an important bird finding guide to the

mid-Atlantic states The Mid-Atlantic is a region of the United States located in the overlap between the nation's Northeastern and Southeastern states. Traditional definitions include seven U.S. states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virg ...

and co-author of a handbook of the world's terns and skimmers, completed after her death. Wilds served on the board of the ABA, was an associate editor of ''Birding'' magazine, wrote articles for ''The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding'', and was a consultant in the preparation of the National Geographic Society's field guide. She herself was posthumously awarded the ABA's

Ludlow Griscom Award The Ludlow Griscom Award for Outstanding Contributions in Regional Ornithology is an award bestowed by the American Birding Association upon individuals who are determined to have "dramatically advanced the state of ornithological knowledge for a ...

in 1998. The Claudia Wilds Award was first bestowed on Larry Balch.

List of recipients

The award was introduced in 2000. Source:

References

{{reflist Ornithology awards * Long service medals American Birding Association

List of recipients

See also

References