Phoebe Snetsinger
Encyclopedia
Phoebe Snetsinger, née Burnett (9 June 1931, Lake Zurich
, Illinois
, USA - November 23, 1999, Madagascar
), a resident of Webster Groves, Missouri
, was a birder famous for having seen over 8,400 species by the time of her death. The daughter of advertising magnate Leo Burnett
, she inherited a small fortune, which she used to fund numerous trips in pursuit of her hobby. At the time of her death she had seen more species of bird than anyone in history.
Inspired to begin birding after seeing a Blackburnian Warbler
in 1965, Phoebe did not follow the hobby ardently until a doctor diagnosed her with terminal melanoma
in 1981. Instead of convalescence at home, she took a trip to Alaska
to watch birds, and returned home to find the cancer in remission. From then on, she would travel to often remote areas, sometimes under dangerous environmental and political conditions, in order to add to her growing life list. As an amateur ornithologist, she took copious field notes, especially regarding distinctive subspecies
, many of which have since been reclassified as full species.
While on a birding trip in Madagascar in 1999, the van she was riding in overturned, killing her instantly. Her final life bird, after almost two decades as a "terminal cancer patient," was the Red-shouldered Vanga
, a species which had only been described as new to science
in 1997.
Snetsinger's memoir, titled Birding on Borrowed Time, was published posthumously in 2003 by the American Birding Association (ABA). The ABA describes this work as "More than merely a travel narrative, the book is also a profoundly moving human document, as it details how Phoebe Snetsinger's obsession with birds became a way of coping with terminal illness."
Three of Snetsinger's four children are bird researchers in the United States. Thomas J. Snetsinger, her son, specializes in threatened endemic bird species in Hawaii
.
Lake Zurich, Illinois
Lake Zurich is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, a suburb of Chicago. The population was 18,104 at the 2000 census. A 2003 special census put the village's population at 19,005....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, USA - November 23, 1999, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
), a resident of Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is named after New England politician Daniel Webster....
, was a birder famous for having seen over 8,400 species by the time of her death. The daughter of advertising magnate Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett was an advertising executive who created the Jolly Green Giant, the Marlboro Man, Toucan Sam, Charlie the Tuna, Morris the Cat, the Pillsbury Doughboy, the 7up "Spot", and Tony the Tiger....
, she inherited a small fortune, which she used to fund numerous trips in pursuit of her hobby. At the time of her death she had seen more species of bird than anyone in history.
Inspired to begin birding after seeing a Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
The Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca , is a small New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America, from southern Canada, westwards to the southern Canadian Prairies, the Great Lakes region and New England, to North Carolina....
in 1965, Phoebe did not follow the hobby ardently until a doctor diagnosed her with terminal melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
in 1981. Instead of convalescence at home, she took a trip to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to watch birds, and returned home to find the cancer in remission. From then on, she would travel to often remote areas, sometimes under dangerous environmental and political conditions, in order to add to her growing life list. As an amateur ornithologist, she took copious field notes, especially regarding distinctive subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, many of which have since been reclassified as full species.
While on a birding trip in Madagascar in 1999, the van she was riding in overturned, killing her instantly. Her final life bird, after almost two decades as a "terminal cancer patient," was the Red-shouldered Vanga
Red-shouldered Vanga
The Red-shouldered Vanga is a member of the vanga family endemic to south-west Madagascar.This species is notable for being the last species viewed by internationally renowned bird watcher Phoebe Snetsinger before her 1999 death in Madagascar.-Description:Like many of the vangas, this species is...
, a species which had only been described as new to science
Bird species new to science
This article describes bird species new to science since 1900. Prior to the 20th century, and indeed into its early decades, the pace of discovery of new species was fast; during this period, with numerous collecting expeditions into species-rich areas not previously visited by western...
in 1997.
Snetsinger's memoir, titled Birding on Borrowed Time, was published posthumously in 2003 by the American Birding Association (ABA). The ABA describes this work as "More than merely a travel narrative, the book is also a profoundly moving human document, as it details how Phoebe Snetsinger's obsession with birds became a way of coping with terminal illness."
Three of Snetsinger's four children are bird researchers in the United States. Thomas J. Snetsinger, her son, specializes in threatened endemic bird species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.