Richard Schodde,
OAMOAM is an acronym that may refer to:*OA&M, Operations, Administration, and Maintenance*Oamaru Aerodrome, New Zealand*Object access method*Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca, an observatory in Spain*U.S...
(born 23 September 1936) is an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n
botanistBotany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and
ornithologistOrnithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
.
Schodde studied at the
University of AdelaideThe University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
where he received a
BSc (Hons)A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1960 and a
PhDDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the
CSIROThe Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia...
Division of Land Research and Regional Survey in
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. From 1970 to 1998 he was the foundation Curator and Director of the
Australian National Wildlife CollectionThe Australian National Wildlife Collection is a collection of almost 200,000 zoological specimens, including skeletons, skins, spirit specimens, birds’ eggs, frozen tissue samples and a wildlife sound library, mainly of vertebrate animals from Australia and Papua New Guinea, which are stored in a...
(ANWC) in the CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology, following which he became a
Research FellowThe title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
there. During this time he led the flora and fauna surveys that helped establish
Kakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
and the designation of the
wet tropics of north-eastern QueenslandThe Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef...
as Australia's first
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. These surveys resulted in the accession of almost 50,000 specimens to the ANWC, as well as 15,000 samples of frozen tissue for molecular studies. In the 2009 Queen's birthday honours, Schodde was awarded an
OAMThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for his contribution to the natural sciences, particularly ornithology.
Schodde has also been a Corresponding
FellowA fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
, and later an Honorary Fellow, of the
AOUThe American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
, Honorary Vice President of the 25th
International Ornithological CongressThe International Ornithological Congress series forms the oldest and largest international series of meetings of ornithologists. It is organised by the International Ornithological Committee, a group of about 200 ornithologists...
(2010), chair of the Standing Committee on Ornithological Nomenclature of the International Ornithological Committee, and convener of symposia on the origin and evolutionary radiations of Australasian birds at the 1974 and 1990
International Ornithological CongressThe International Ornithological Congress series forms the oldest and largest international series of meetings of ornithologists. It is organised by the International Ornithological Committee, a group of about 200 ornithologists...
es.
Publications
As well as numerous scientific papers, books authored, coauthored or edited by Schodde include:
- 1975 – Interim list of Australian songbirds: Passerines. RAOU
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
: Melbourne.
- 1980 – Nocturnal Birds of Australia. (With Ian J. Mason
Ian J. Mason is an Australian ornithologist and taxonomist who is Senior Collection Manager for the Australian National Wildlife Collection. He is an authority on oology.-Publications:...
. Illustrations by Jeremy Boot). Lansdowne Editions: Melbourne. (Whitley MedalThe Whitley Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales . They commemorate Gilbert Whitley, an eminent Australian ichthyologist, and are presented for outstanding publications, either printed or electronic, that contain new information about the...
1981).
- 1982 – The Fairy-Wrens. a Monograph of the Maluridae. (With illustrations by Richard Weatherly
Richard Weatherly is an Australian environmentalist and artist specialising in natural history subjects, especially birds.Weatherly spent his childhood on a sheep and cattle station in western Victoria. While he was studying at Cambridge University he began his career as a wildlife artist with an...
). Lansdowne Editions: Melbourne. ISBN 0701810513. (Whitley MedalThe Whitley Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales . They commemorate Gilbert Whitley, an eminent Australian ichthyologist, and are presented for outstanding publications, either printed or electronic, that contain new information about the...
1982).
- 1983 – A Review of Norfolk Island Birds: Past and Present. (With P. Fullagar and N. Hermes). ANPWS Special Publication No.8.
- 1988 – Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds
The Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds is a book first published by Reader’s Digest Services Pty Ltd of Sydney, Australia in 1976 and reprinted several times, with a completely revised edition issued in 1986.-Description:...
. (Coeditor of 2nd edition with Sonia Tidemann). Reader's Digest: Sydney. ISBN 0-949819-99-9
- 1997 – Zoological Catalogue of Australia: Aves (Columbidae to Coraciidae) v. 37. 2. (With Ian J. Mason). CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0643060375
- 1998 – CSIRO List of Australian Vertebrates: A Reference with Conservation Status. (With M. Stanger, M Clayton, I. Mason and J. Wombey). CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0643062564
- 1999 – The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. A taxonomic and zoogeographic atlas of the biodiversity of birds of Australia and its territories. (With Ian J. Mason). CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0-643-06456-7
- 2006 – Proceedings of the 23rd International Ornithological Congress, Beijing, August 2002. (General editor). Acta Zoologica Sinica, Vol.52, Supplement. Science Press: Beijing.
- 2006 – The Encyclopedia of Birds. A Complete Visual Guide. (With Fred Cooke). Fog City Press. ISBN 1740893557