Dr Guy Dutson is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

-born

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and a leader of

birding Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

tours, who is a world authority on the birds of the south-west Pacific region. He has rediscovered or described several bird species.

Information

Dutson was educated at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

where he studied veterinary science. As a veterinarian, Dutson worked in the UK,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. In 1990 he led a Cambridge University expedition to the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, in the course of which he rediscovered the

superb pitta The superb pitta (''Pitta superba'') is a large pitta that is endemic to Manus Island which lies to the north of Papua New Guinea. Description The superb pitta is about long. It has black plumage with turquoise blue wings, a scarlet belly and ...

Manus Island Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...

. Expeditions to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

led to the rediscovery of the

Tanahjampea monarch The Tanahjampea monarch or white-tipped monarch (''Symposiachrus everetti'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Taxonomy ...

and the

Cebu flowerpecker The Cebu flowerpecker (''Dicaeum quadricolor'') is a small passerine bird. It is endemic to Cebu Island in the Philippines. Feared to have become extinct early in the 20th century, it was rediscovered in 1992 in a small patch of limestone forest ...

. In 2003 he rediscovered the

long-legged warbler The long-legged thicketbird (''Cincloramphus rufus'') is a small bird endemic (ecology), endemic to Fiji. The species is sometimes known as the long-legged warbler. It was formerly classified as the sole representative of the genus ''Trichocichla ...

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. In 2008 he described a new species of

white-eye The white-eyes are a family, Zosteropidae, of small passerine birds native to tropical, subtropical and temperate Sub-Saharan Africa, southern and eastern Asia, and Australasia. White-eyes inhabit most tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, the ...

, the

Vanikoro white-eye The Vanikoro white-eye (''Zosterops gibbsi'') is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Vanikoro in the Santa Cruz Islands of Temotu Province in the south-east of the Solomon Islands chain.Dutson, Guy. (2008). A new specie ...

, from the Vanikolo Islands in the Solomons.Dutson, G. (2008). A new species of white-eye ''Zosterops'' and notes on other birds from Vanikoro, Solomon Islands. ''Ibis'' 150(4): 698-706. From 2000 to 2005, based in Fiji, Dutson established and managed the

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

Pacific program, travelling extensively around the islands of

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

and the south-west Pacific.Sicklebill Safaris: Dr Guy Dutson
He subsequently worked for Birds Australia as the manager of the Australian

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

s program. Dutson's most recent publishing endeavour is a description of a high altitude observation of the beautiful firetail in East Gippsland, Australia.Antos, M.J., Fitzsimons, J.A. & Dutson, G. (2009) A high altitude observation of the Beautiful Firetail ''Stagonopleura bella'' from East Gippsland, Victoria. ''Corella'' 33 (1): 18-21. from 2009 he went to survey to search for

White-chested white-eye The white-chested white-eye (''Zosterops albogularis'') also known as white-breasted white-eye or Norfolk white-eye is a passerine from the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Norfolk Island between New Caledonia and New Zealand and it is regar ...

but failed to find any individuals.

Publications

Dutson wrote most of the Pacific islands species' accounts in the BirdLife publication ''Threatened Birds of the World''. He is also involved in editing the same species for the ''

Handbook of the Birds of the World The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...

''. As well as numerous scientific papers and project reports, he has authored: * 2002 - ''Field Guide to Birds of Melanesia''. Premier Press. * 2006 - ''Important Bird Areas in Fiji: Conserving Fiji's Natural Heritage''. BirdLife International. (Edited with Vilikesa T. Masibalavu).

References

British ornithologists British veterinarians Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-ornithologist-stub