The Ludlow Griscom Award for Outstanding Contributions in Regional Ornithology 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 ...

bestowed 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." ...

upon individuals who are determined to have "dramatically advanced the state of ornithological knowledge for a particular region," through long-term studies of status and distribution, the writing and/or publication of

field guide A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife (flora or fauna or funga) or other objects of natural occurrence (e.g. rocks and minerals). It is generally designed to be brought into the " field" or local area where suc ...

s to birds of a certain area, work as part of a breeding bird atlas project, through the publishing of

academic papers Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or theses. The part of academic written output that is not formally publis ...

on regional ornithology, or through their efforts in inspiring and teaching about the subject of birding. One of five awards presented by the ABA for contributions to ornithology, the award is named after

Ludlow Griscom Ludlow Griscom (June 17, 1890 – May 28, 1959) was an American ornithologist known as a pioneer in field ornithology. His emphasis on the identification of free-flying birds by field marks became widely adopted by professionals and amateurs. M ...

, considered the "Dean of the Birdwatchers", a pioneer in field ornithology, and one of the first ornithologists to stress the importance of

identification Identification or identify may refer to: *Identity document, any document used to verify a person's identity Arts, entertainment and media * ''Identify'' (album) by Got7, 2014 * "Identify" (song), by Natalie Imbruglia, 1999 * ''Identification ...

of birds in the field as opposed to the collection of

specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository f ...

s. The Ludlow Griscom Award was first presented to

Roger Tory Peterson Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996) was an American natural history, naturalist, Conservationist (biology), conservationist, citizen scientist ornithology, ornithologist, artist and illustrator, educator, and a founder of th ...

, considered the father of the modern field guide, in 1980. In its early years, the award was more broadly designated to recognize "outstanding contributions to excellence in field birding." After being awarded in 1981, it was awarded biennially from 1984 to 1998; since then, it has been awarded on an annual basis.

List of winners

Since the award's inception in 1980, there have been 34 recipients, including several years in which more than one award was given.

References

{{reflist Ornithology awards American Birding Association

List of winners

See also

References