author
Alexander Wetmore
1886–1978
A lifelong bird expert, he helped shape modern ornithology while also leading the Smithsonian Institution. His work ranged from fossil birds and taxonomy to decades of field research across the Americas.
1 Audiobook
Canaries : their care and management
by Alexander Wetmore
About the author
Born in North Freedom, Wisconsin, in 1886, Alexander Wetmore developed an interest in birds early and built that passion into a long scientific career. He became known as an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist whose research focused especially on the birds of the Western Hemisphere.
Wetmore worked for the U.S. Biological Survey before joining the Smithsonian, where he later became the sixth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, serving from 1945 to 1952. Even after his administrative years, he remained deeply active as a researcher, and he was especially associated with major field studies in Panama and with broad work on bird classification and anatomy.
He died in 1978, leaving behind a reputation as one of the most influential American bird scientists of his era. For listeners drawn to natural history, his life offers a mix of careful observation, museum leadership, and a lasting commitment to understanding the diversity of bird life.