Robert Ridgely (ornithologist)

Dr. Robert S. Ridgely (b. 1946) is an American ornithologist, specializing in the neotropics. He is the co-author of three books on neotropical ornithology: the field guide "The Birds of Panama" (with John Gwynne), "The Birds of Ecuador" (with Paul Greenfield), and the "The Birds of South America" (with Guy Tudor), of which two monumental volumes (out of four), covering the passerines, have appeared. He was long affiliated with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, then Vice-President at the [http://www.abcbirds.org American Bird Conservancy] until 2006. He is currently working for the [http://www.worldlandtrust-us.org World Land Trust US] and is the president and founder of the highly successful conservation NGO [http://www.fjocotoco.org Fundación Jocotoco] , which owns and manages eight nature reserves in Ecuador.