William Henry Phelps Jr. (December 25, 1902 – August 13, 1988) was a Venezuelan
ornithologist and businessman.
Early life
He was born in
San Antonio de MaturÃn, a town located in
Monagas
)
, anthem = '' Himno del Estado Monagas''
, image_map = Monagas in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
, pushpin_map =
, pushpin_m ...
, Venezuela. Along with his father,
William Henry Phelps, he founded the first commercial radio station in Venezuela,
1 Broadcasting Caracas.
Career
After finishing his studies in
Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Scho ...
and getting a BSc in 1926 from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
, he published over 78 books on the birds of Venezuela with his wife Katherine Deery Phelps, in which they described their discovery of more than 200 new species. Together they organized about 100 expeditions that helped collect over 1,000 species of birds. A direct result of his research was the creation of the Venezuelan Museum of Ornithology with one of the most important libraries and collections in South America. In recognition of his research the
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
created a fellowship in his honor to fund Venezuelan graduate students interested in
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
. In 1953 he founded one of the most important Venezuelan television stations,
Radio Caracas Televisión
Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisià ...
, and served as its president for 34 years. He died in the city of
Caracas.
Works
*''Las aves de Perijá'' Caracas: Casa de Especialidades, 1944
*''Resumen de las colecciones ornitológicas en Venezuela'' Caracas: Casa de Especialidades, 1945
*''Contribución del Dr.
Frank M. Chapman à la ornitologÃa venezolana'' Caracas: Casa de Especialidades, 1946
*''Descripción de cuatro aves nuevas de los cerros Paraque y Ptri-
Tepui
A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...
y notas sobre
Bubulcus ibis
The western cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic authorities lump this species and the eastern cattle egret together (called the catt ...
, Myioborus cardonal y
Platycichla leuocops'' Caracas: Casa de Especialidades, 1946
*''Descripción de seis aves nuevas de Venezuela y notas sobre veinticuatro adiciones à la avifauna del Brasil'' Caracas: TipografÃa La Nación, 1948
*''Notas sobre aves venezolanas'' Caracas: TipografÃa El Compás, 1948
*''Las aves de
Bonaire'' Caracas: TipografÃa La Nación, 1951
*''Las aves de las islas
Los Roques
The Los Roques Archipelago (Spanish: ''Archipiélago de Los Roques'') is a federal dependency of Venezuela consisting of approximately 350 islands, cays, and islets in a total area of 40.61 square kilometers. The archipelago is located dir ...
y
Las Aves y descripción de un nuevo canario de mangle'' Caracas: TipografÃa La Nación, 1951
*''El posible hundimiento parcial de isla de Aves'' Caracas: LitografÃa del Comercio, 1953
*''Las aves de la isla de Patos, con algunos documentos sobre la historia y la geologÃa de la isla'' Caracas: Sociedad Venezolana de Ciencias Naturales, 1958
*''La aves de la isla
La Orchila
La Orchila Island is an island and a military base off the coast of Venezuela, north of Caracas. It has numerous beaches, including one where the sand is markedly pink (Arena Rosada).
There is a presidential retreat on this island, and the re ...
'' Caracas: Editorial Sucre, 1959
*''Cuarenta y nueve aves nuevas para la avifauna del cerro Uei-Tepui (Cerro del Sol)'' Caracas: Editorial Sucre, 1962
*''Lista de las aves de Venezuela con su distribución'' 2nd ed. Caracas: Editorial Sucre, 1963
*(with
Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee
Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee (January 4, 1901 – April 24, 1984) was an American ornithologist.
He was born in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, ima ...
) ''A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela'' Princeton University Press : 1978.
*(with Ramón Aveledo Ostos) ''Dos nuevas subespecies de aves (
Troglodytidae,
Fringillidae
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...
) del cerro Marahuaca, territorio Amazonas'' Caracas Editorial Sucre, 1984
*(with
Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee
Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee (January 4, 1901 – April 24, 1984) was an American ornithologist.
He was born in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, ima ...
) ''Una guÃa de las aves de Venezuela'' 2nd ed. Caracas: Ex Libris, 1993.
References
*Kathleen de Phelps. "Memorias de misia Kathy : primera Expedición Phelps al "Cerro Jimé," actual Cerro de la Neblina, enero-febrero, 1954". (Caracas : Tecniproven 1986) .
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, William H. Jr.
1902 births
1988 deaths
Empresas 1BC people
People from Monagas
Princeton University alumni
20th-century Venezuelan businesspeople
Venezuelan ornithologists
Venezuelan people of American descent
20th-century zoologists