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AOU Meeting in Philadelphia

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Aug 10, 2009 | by Adrian Binns

The AOU is in town! The American Ornithologists’ Union 127th annual meeting is being held this week, August 12-15, in the Birthplace of American Ornithology, Philadelphia. Founded in 1883 the AOU is the oldest and largest scientific organization devoted to the study of birds in the Americas, and this conference will present the very latest research.

The timing of the meeting coincides with shorebird migration through the Delaware Valley, and I look forward to leading several field trips this week to our area National Wildlife Refuges.

It is the AOU that sets the checklist of North American birds, updating the scientific nomenclature as well as the English common names. Their most recent changes include shortening the names of the sharp-tailed sparrows to Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sparrow.

I love their conference logo. Have a look at the Liberty Bell crack below and you will notice that it has been expanded to create an outline of a Great Auk – their logo. The Auk is the name of their most prestigious quarterly journal.

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