Peter Kaestner
Encyclopedia
Peter G. Kaestner is an American
diplomat
and amateur ornithologist currently serving as a senior inspector in the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. State Department. From 2006 to 2009 he was the consul general of the American Embassy in New Delhi
, India
. As consul general, he oversaw consular operations in New Delhi and the U.S. Consulates Generals in Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, and Kolkata (Calcultta).
Born in Baltimore, Maryland,in 1953 to Benjamin Henry Kaestner, Sr. and Alice (Reed) Kaestner, he is the middle child of 10 siblings and step-siblings. After spending two years in the Peace Corps in Zaire, Kaestner entered the Foreign Service in 1981, and has been assigned in the past to India
, Egypt
, Brazil
, Guatemala
, New Guinea
, the Solomon Islands
, Colombia
, Malaysia, and Namibia
. In 1990 he had his first child with his wife Kimberly Vreeland Kaestner, Katherine Kaestner. In 1991 the couple had a second child, Laurel Kaestner.
An avid birder, he has taken advantage of his position as an international diplomat to follow his hobby more avidly than is normally possible. By 1986, he had become the first birder to see a representative of each bird family in the world, though the list of bird families recognized by science has changed considerably since then.
In 1989, while on a birding expedition in Colombia, he discovered a species new to science, the Cundinamarca Antpitta
(Grallaria kaestneri). (See Formicariidae
.) With a life list above 8,200 birds, Kaestner remains one of the most prolific birders in the world, surpassed only by very few, such as Hugh Buck and Jon Hornbuckle and the late Phoebe Snetsinger.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and amateur ornithologist currently serving as a senior inspector in the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. State Department. From 2006 to 2009 he was the consul general of the American Embassy in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. As consul general, he oversaw consular operations in New Delhi and the U.S. Consulates Generals in Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, and Kolkata (Calcultta).
Born in Baltimore, Maryland,in 1953 to Benjamin Henry Kaestner, Sr. and Alice (Reed) Kaestner, he is the middle child of 10 siblings and step-siblings. After spending two years in the Peace Corps in Zaire, Kaestner entered the Foreign Service in 1981, and has been assigned in the past to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Malaysia, and Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. In 1990 he had his first child with his wife Kimberly Vreeland Kaestner, Katherine Kaestner. In 1991 the couple had a second child, Laurel Kaestner.
An avid birder, he has taken advantage of his position as an international diplomat to follow his hobby more avidly than is normally possible. By 1986, he had become the first birder to see a representative of each bird family in the world, though the list of bird families recognized by science has changed considerably since then.
In 1989, while on a birding expedition in Colombia, he discovered a species new to science, the Cundinamarca Antpitta
Cundinamarca Antpitta
The Cundinamarca Antpitta is a species of bird in the Formicariidae family. It is endemic to Colombia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.- References :...
(Grallaria kaestneri). (See Formicariidae
Formicariidae
The Formicariidae, formicariids, or ground antbirds are a family of smallish passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are between 10 and 20 cm in length, and are related to the antbirds, Thamnophilidae, and gnateaters, Conopophagidae...
.) With a life list above 8,200 birds, Kaestner remains one of the most prolific birders in the world, surpassed only by very few, such as Hugh Buck and Jon Hornbuckle and the late Phoebe Snetsinger.