Robert Simeon Arbib Jr. (March 17, 1915 – July 20, 1987) was an American ornithologist, writer and conservationist. From 1970 to 1984 he was editor of ''American Birds,'' the magazine of the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

, and was the author of several books on birds and nature, including ''The Lord's Woods: The Passing of an American Woodland,'' which was awarded the

John Burroughs Medal The John Burroughs Medal, named for nature writer John Burroughs (1837–1921), is awarded each year in April by the John Burroughs Association to the author of a book that the association has judged to be distinguished in the field of natural hist ...

for the best American nature book of 1972. Arbib was born in

Gloversville, New York Gloversville is a city in the Mohawk Valley region of Upstate New York, United States. The most populous city in Fulton County, it was once the hub of the United States' glovemaking industry, with over 200 manufacturers there and the adjacent ...

, and raised in Woodmere, Long Island to Edna and Robert Arbib Sr. His father was an importer who had emigrated from Cairo, and his brother

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

became a noted automotive designer. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1937 and served in the Army during World War II, where he was stationed mainly in France and England and wrote for the London ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

''. He was married to Renee Johnson on August 25, 1946.

Books

* * (with

Tony Soper Tony Soper (10 January 1929 – 18 September 2024) was a British naturalist, author, and broadcaster. Life and career Soper was born on 10 January 1929, in Southampton, Hampshire, the son of Ella (nee Lythgoe), a former shop assistant and membe ...

) * (with Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr. and

Sally Hoyt Spofford Sally Hoyt Spofford ( Sarah Elizabeth Foresman; April 11, 1914 – October 26, 2002) was an American ornithologist who was long associated with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. In retirement, she was involved in conservation and birding in ...

) *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbib, Robert S., Jr. 1915 births 1987 deaths American ornithological writers American ornithologists American male non-fiction writers American conservationists People from Gloversville, New York Yale University alumni 20th-century American zoologists United States Army personnel of World War II People from Woodmere, New York