Herbert Girton Deignan

Herbert Girton Deignan ( born December 5, 1906 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA, † March 15, 1968 probably in Switzerland) was an American ornithologist, which dealt primarily with the birds of Thailand.

Early years

Deignan was the son of Harry Francis and Anna Galena, née Warren. He grew up in a small town up in Pennsylvania, went to the Mercersburg Academy to school and from 1924 to Princeton University. At this institution he graduated in October 1928 be successful International Abitur. There, his interest in birds developed.

He was married to Stella Leche, a physician and anthropologist.

Vocational years

At Chiangmai College in the north of Siam, he was hired as an English teacher in the period from 1928 to 1932, where he also collected birds of this area.

In 1932 he returned to the time of the Great Depression in the United States, where he received an appointment time at the National Museum of Natural History. Because of his language skills in Asian languages ​​and Sanskrit, he worked at the Library of Congress. In 1935, he returned to his former post to Chiang Mai, where he remained until 1937. During this time he supported and expanded the bird collection of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1938 he returned again to the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution museums in Europe allowed him to seek on their behalf.

As early as 1923 Deignan member of the American Ornithologists ' Union had become, in 1946 was named Life Fellow and was from 1959 to 1961 secretary of this organization.

During World War II he served from 1944 to 1946 in the Office of Strategic Services, especially in südasischen room. Then he resumed his work at the National Museum of Natural History on again. In 1948 he took part in the eight -month American - Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. From 1952 to 1953 he lived in Thailand. In 1959 he was appointed Curator of Zoology. In 1962, he stepped out of service and then lived in Switzerland. He also participated continue as an ornithologist, was for the Smithsonian Institution to field studies in Madagascar and was invited to consultations in London and Paris.

Publications

He has published revisions of taxonomists, catalogs and described numerous birds from different regions of the world, especially from the Southeast Asia.