The once-invisible legacy of Elizabeth L. Kerr, a naturalist in the early 20th century, and her contributions to Colombian ornithology

Juliana Soto-Patiño, Katherine Certuche-Cubillos, Jessica Díaz-Cárdenas, Daniela Garzón-Lozano, Estefanía Guzmán-Moreno, Nelsy Niño-Rodríguez, Natalia Pérez-Amaya, Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Mrs. Elizabeth L. Kerr was a bird and mammal collector who traveled to Colombia in the early 20th century when women had very limited access to education or scientific expeditions. Despite her notable contributions to Colombian ornithology, including collecting the holotype of a new species to science (Chocó Tinamou—Crypturellus kerriae), her name is not mentioned in historical accounts of ornithology in Colombia. Here, we describe what we know about Kerr’s life as a collector and her legacy in the study of Colombian birds. We highlight the fact that Kerr has become a role model for female naturalists and provide a short account of an all-female ornithological expedition to resurvey one of Kerr’s collecting sites. By bringing Kerr’s legacy to the public eye, we hope to raise awareness of implicit bias and barriers faced by women in science.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberduad006
Number of pages8
JournalThe Condor
Volume125
Issue number2
Early online dateApr 10 2023
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2023

Keywords

  • INHS
  • Colombia
  • gender bias
  • female ornithologist
  • Chocó
  • bird collector

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Animal Science and Zoology

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