Frederick Charles Lincoln

Frederick C. Lincoln

Lincoln at his desk. From the U.S. National Archives and the U.S. Bird Banding Laboratory.
Born (1892-05-05)May 5, 1892
Denver, Colorado
Died September 16, 1960(1960-09-16) (aged 68)
Washington, D.C.
Resting place Arlington National Cemetery
Nationality United States
Fields Ornithology
Known for Lincoln index, flyway concept

Frederick Charles Lincoln (5 May 1892 – 16 September 1960) was an American ornithologist.

Early life and family

Lincoln was born on 5 May 1892 in Denver, Colorado.[1]

Career

As a teenager working at the Colorado Museum of Natural History in 1909, Lincoln learned to prepare specimens from Alexander Wetmore (who was then a student working at the museum) and L. J. Hershey, the museum's Curator of Ornithology.[1][2] Lincoln's interest in birds continued to develop, and he eventually went on to succeed Hershey as curator in 1913, a post which he held until 1920.[1][2] He took time out in 1918–1919 to serve as pigeon expert in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.[2] The professional relationship with Wetmore would continue: the two scientists took field trips together in Washington and Hispaniola and co-wrote eight publications.[1]

In 1920, Lincoln joined the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey (at the time, a unit of the United States Department of Agriculture, and now part of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service [3]) and was given the task of organizing and expanding the bird banding program nationwide.[2] The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 had established federal responsibility for migratory birds; the result was that the North American Bird Banding Program took the place of earlier smaller-scale efforts by individuals and the short-lived American Bird Banding Association. During the period of his tenure, 1920–1946, Lincoln was highly influential: he improved methods for trapping and banding, developed record-keeping procedures, recruited banders, fostered international cooperation, and promoted banding as a tool for research and wildlife management.[1][2] He proposed a means to estimate the continent-wide population size of a bird species, using reports from hunters and counting "returns" (birds killed that are wearing bands); this metric became known as the Lincoln index.[1] He developed the flyway concept, a key idea in the management and regulation of hunting of migratory birds.[1]

Lincoln joined the American Ornithologists' Union in 1910 and was elected a Fellow of the organization in 1934.[1][4]

Later life and death

Lincoln died on 16 September 1960 in Washington, D.C. and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[1]

Legacy and recognition

Lincoln received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Colorado in 1956; in 1957, the Department of the Interior recognized him with its Distinguished Service Award.[1]

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Gabrielson (1962).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Tautin (2005).
  3. ↑ "Who We Are". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  4. ↑ Palmer, T. S. (January–March 1935). "The Fifty-Second Stated Meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union". The Auk. 52 (1): 53–63. doi:10.2307/4077107. Retrieved 24 May 2013.

Bibliography

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