The American Ornithologists' Union (AOU), the Western Hemisphere's premier ornithological society, presents five awards every year honoring members for their contributions to science and their service to the organization. The 2016 awardees were announced at this year's landmark North American Ornithological Conference in Washington, D.C., and their work spans the full breadth of the field of ornithology, including contributions to ecology, conservation, behavior, systematics, and more. The award winners for 2016 are the following:
Honoring their colleagues' achievements is an annual highlight for the leadership of the AOU. "Given the breadth of ornithological literature published annually, it easy to lose sight of the magnitude of quality contributions from any one individual," said Scott Lanyon, President of the society. "The AOU's senior awards represent an opportunity to remind ourselves of just how enormous an impact some of our colleagues are having on the science of ornithology, on the broader conceptual scientific disciplines, and on the conservation of avian diversity."
###
For more information on the AOU's professional and service awards, visit: http://americanornithology.org/content/aou-professional-and-service-awards .
About the American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) is an international society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of birds, enriching ornithology as a profession, and promoting a rigorous scientific basis for the conservation of birds. The AOU produces scientific publications of the highest quality, hosts intellectually engaging and professionally vital meetings, serves ornithologists at every career stage, pursues a global perspective, and informs public policy on all issues important to ornithology and ornithological collections.
The AOU was founded in 1883 by William Brewster, Elliott Coues and Joel Allen out of concern for bird conservation and interest in developing the field of ornithology in North America. Early AOU efforts led to formation of the National Audubon Society and the Biological Survey (now known as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Today, the AOU is the largest ornithological society in the Western Hemisphere and one of the oldest organizations in the world devoted to the scientific study and conservation of birds.
The AOU publishes The Auk: Ornithological Advances , which has one of the highest scientific impact ranking among ornithological journals worldwide. The Auk is an international journal that advances fundamental scientific knowledge in two ways: increase in the basic knowledge of bird species, both living and extinct; and increase in the knowledge of broad biological and conservation concepts through studies of bird species.
The AOU Checklist is the accepted authority for scientific nomenclature and English names of birds in North and Middle America. The AOU has recently completed a complementary checklist for South American birds. The AOU also sponsors The Birds of North America Online, in partnership with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.