Pierce Brodkorb
Encyclopedia
Pierce Brodkorb also stated as William Pierce Brodkorb, was an American ornithologist and paleontologist.
Interested in birds since childhood, he was taught to prepare birds at the age of 16. Later, he received the opportunity to work as a staff technician in the Ornithology Division of the Field Museum. He entered the University of Michigan
in 1933 and obtained his PhD
degree in 1936. Subsequently, he became an assistant curator
of birds at the Museum of Zoology
in Michigan
until 1946. In 1946, he accepted a professorate in the Department of Zoology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, a position he held until his retirement in 1989.
From the 1950s, Brodkorb built up a huge collection of bird fossils from the Miocene, the Pliocene, and the Pleistocene of Florida, which included 12,500 skeletons from 129 families, and is on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History
, part of the University of Florida
. From 1963 to 1978, he published the Catalogue of Fossil Birds in five volumes. In 1982, he became an honorary member of the Florida Ornithological Society
.
Brodkorb described several prehistoric bird genera, such as Alexornis
or Titanis
for the first time. Taxa like Paraptenodytes brodkorbi
, Aegolius acadicus brodkorbi, Empidonax fulvifrons brodkorbi, and Henocitta brodkorbi were named in his honour.
Interested in birds since childhood, he was taught to prepare birds at the age of 16. Later, he received the opportunity to work as a staff technician in the Ornithology Division of the Field Museum. He entered the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1933 and obtained his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in 1936. Subsequently, he became an assistant curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of birds at the Museum of Zoology
Museums at the University of Michigan
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is home to a number of museums. The majority of them on Central Campus, which include the Exhibit Museum of Natural History , Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
until 1946. In 1946, he accepted a professorate in the Department of Zoology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, a position he held until his retirement in 1989.
From the 1950s, Brodkorb built up a huge collection of bird fossils from the Miocene, the Pliocene, and the Pleistocene of Florida, which included 12,500 skeletons from 129 families, and is on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History
Florida Museum of Natural History
The Florida Museum of Natural History is the State of Florida's official state-sponsored and chartered natural history museum. Its main facilities are located on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida....
, part of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. From 1963 to 1978, he published the Catalogue of Fossil Birds in five volumes. In 1982, he became an honorary member of the Florida Ornithological Society
Florida Ornithological Society
The Florida Ornithological Society is a Florida organization formed to promote field ornithology and facilitate contact between persons interested in birds....
.
Brodkorb described several prehistoric bird genera, such as Alexornis
Alexornis
Alexornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous of southwestern North America. The type and only species is Alexornis antecedens....
or Titanis
Titanis
Titanis is a large extinct flightless carnivorous bird of the family Phorusrhacidae, endemic to North America during the Blancan stage of the Pliocene living 4.9—1.8 Ma, and died out during the Gelasian Age of the earliest Pleistocene, existing approximately .-Etymology:The generic name, Titanis,...
for the first time. Taxa like Paraptenodytes brodkorbi
Paraptenodytes brodkorbi
Paraptenodytes brodkorbi is a proposed, but possibly invalid, species of extinct penguin. The bird was probably about the size of an King Penguin....
, Aegolius acadicus brodkorbi, Empidonax fulvifrons brodkorbi, and Henocitta brodkorbi were named in his honour.
External links
- In memoriam: Pierce Brodkorb
- Obituary by Storrs L. OlsonStorrs L. OlsonStorrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
- Catalogue of fossil birds - Online