Robert Alexander Falla
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Alexander Falla (21 July 1901 – 23 February 1979) was a New Zealand
museum administrator and ornithologist.
He was assistant zoologist with the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) under Sir Douglas Mawson
1929-1931. He was the founding President of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand
. He was involved in the organisation of the wartime subantarctic
Cape Expedition
coastwatching program of 1941-1945.
He held positions in various New Zealand museums including Director of the Canterbury Museum
from 1936 and Director of the Dominion Museum
, Wellington
, 1947-1966. He was a member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
(RAOU), President 1951-1952, and made a fellow
of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
in 1973.
He described Pycroft's Petrel
, Pterodroma pycrofti. Falla's Skink
Oligosoma fallai is named for him.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
museum administrator and ornithologist.
He was assistant zoologist with the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) under Sir Douglas Mawson
Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson, OBE, FRS, FAA was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer and Academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton, Mawson was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.-Early work:He was appointed geologist to an...
1929-1931. He was the founding President of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand
Ornithological Society of New Zealand
The Ornithological Society of New Zealand was founded in 1940. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the study of birds and their habitats in the New Zealand region. It caters for a wide variety of people interested in the birds of the region, from professional ornithologists to casual...
. He was involved in the organisation of the wartime subantarctic
Subantarctic
The Subantarctic is a region in the southern hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° – 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands in the southern parts of the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and...
Cape Expedition
Cape Expedition
Cape Expedition was the deliberately misleading name given to a secret five-year wartime program of establishing coastwatching stations on New Zealand’s more distant uninhabited subantarctic islands...
coastwatching program of 1941-1945.
He held positions in various New Zealand museums including Director of the Canterbury Museum
Canterbury Museum
The Canterbury Museum is a museum located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand in the city's Cultural Precinct.The museum was established in 1867 and has since grown in size to encompass New Zealand's diverse natural and human heritage...
from 1936 and Director of the Dominion Museum
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, 1947-1966. He was a member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
(RAOU), President 1951-1952, and made a fellow
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union Fellows
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union may elect somebody to the position of Fellow, the highest grade of membership, for service to the RAOU and to ornithology. Fellows of the RAOU are entitled to use the letters FRAOU after their name. There is a limit to the number of Fellows that may...
of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
in 1973.
He described Pycroft's Petrel
Pycroft's Petrel
The Pycroft's Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in Japan, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, the United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, and Wallis and Futuna Islands....
, Pterodroma pycrofti. Falla's Skink
Falla's Skink
Falla's skink, Oligosoma fallai, is a species of skink in the Scincidae family.It is endemic to the Three Kings Islands off the coast of New Zealand. It is found nowhere else in the world.-References:...
Oligosoma fallai is named for him.