UWs Chalfoun Elected as Fellow of American Ornithological Society

A University of Wyoming faculty member was recently elected as an American Ornithological Society (AOS) Fellow for her outstanding contributions to ornithology and her service to the society.

Anna Chalfoun is an associate professor in the Department of Zoology and Physiology, and assistant unit leader of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. As an AOS Fellow, she will play an important role in governance by approving and amending the AOS bylaws, and she will help to keep the society on the cutting edge of ornithological work and relevant to professional ornithologists of all sorts, according to a Fellows announcement Chalfoun received.

The AOS is an international society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of birds, enriching ornithology as a profession and promoting a rigorous scientific basis for the conservation of birds.

Chalfoun was recognized for her experience, commitment and contributions to the field and society at the AOS annual conference in August. Her first official Fellows meeting will take place during the annual conference next April.

New Fellows are nominated each year by current Fellows or by the AOS nominations committee, and are confirmed through a vote of the current Fellows at the annual meeting. Fellows are residents or citizens of the Western Hemisphere, and represent the most eminent members of the global ornithology community.

Chalfoun’s research focuses on the relationship between wildlife (including birds) and their habitats, and the effects of human-induced habitat changes, such as those caused by energy development on species of concern. She also has conducted several studies focused on what determines the risk of predation on bird nests and parental care strategies of birds. Much of her work has taken place within the sagebrush steppe of the North American West.

Chalfoun received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Smith College; a master’s degree in wildlife science with an emphasis in conservation biology from the University of Missouri-Columbia; and her Ph.D. in wildlife biology from the University of Montana-Missoula.