author
Austin Loomer Rand
1905–1982
A field-hardened zoologist and ornithologist, this Canadian-born scientist helped map bird life in places as far apart as Madagascar and New Guinea. His writing blends expedition experience with careful observation, making his work appealing to anyone curious about the natural world.
1 Audiobook
Stray Feathers From a Bird Man's Desk
by Austin Loomer Rand
About the author
Born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, on December 16, 1905, and raised nearby in Wolfville, he developed an early interest in birds under the influence of local ornithologist Robie W. Tufts. He earned a BSc from Acadia University, continued his studies at Cornell, and built a career that joined field biology with museum research.
While still a graduate student, he joined the Franco-Anglo-American expedition to Madagascar, work that fed into his doctoral research. He later became closely associated with the American Museum of Natural History and took part in major expeditions to New Guinea, where he studied birds and mammals in the field.
Over the years, he was known not only as a zoologist and ornithologist but also as a clear popularizer of natural history. He served as president of the American Ornithologists' Union from 1962 to 1964, and his long career left a lasting mark on twentieth-century bird study before his death on November 6, 1982.