Raptor Research Foundation

Dean Amadon Research Grant

Dean Amadon Research Grant

THE AWARD: This award is designed to assist persons working on the distribution and systematics, or taxonomy, of raptors. Systematics covers a wide array of interests from molecular work to differential migration of populations from various geographic regions, for example distribution also covers a wide array of interests but should have something to do with where raptors live or why they are there.


ABOUT DEAN AMADON: Dr. Amadon was the former Lamont curator of birds at the American Museum of Natural History and president of the American Ornithologists’ Union. He was the author or co-author of over 400 publications, many, if not most on avian systematics. He passed away in 2003, in his 91st year. In 1937 he was offered a job at the AMNH by Frank M. Chapman. Dr. Amadon remained at the museum for the rest of his life. This grant is the result of a donation of AT&T stock that he gave to RRF in the late 1990s, which formed a large part of the principal of our Memorial Endowment Fund.


AMOUNT: $2,500 plus waived page charges. The waived page charges allow the recipient to publish their research in the Journal of Raptor Research. The recipient must be the primary author and the paper must reflect what the award was for.


Number of grants issued per year: 1.


TO APPLY: Submit:

• A cover letter highlighting the motivations, objectives, and expected outcomes of the study (1 page).

• The applicant’s CV.

• A proposal of no more than five pages, including:

o Background and justification (need)

o Study objectives and methods

o A budget detailing how funds will be spent

o A list of other funding sources, both requested and received

o Expected results

o Literature cited (maximum one page)

• A photograph of the applicant, preferably in the field, to be used when awards are announced.


Deadline: June 30


Application Method: Apply online through June 30th. Please contact awards@raptorresearchfoundation.org with questions about your application. The online application opens in January each year.


YearAmadon RecipientTitle
2023Karma JimbaThe distribution, foraging behavior, food resources, and habitat use by Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) in Punakha-Wangdue Valley, Western Bhutan.
2022Neil PaprockiEffects of Diet on Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) Migration Distance.
2022Matias A. JuhantTesting patterns and mechanisms of differential migration by age during the non-breeding season in three hawks of the genus Geranoaetus.
2021Hannah ToutonghiUsing high-resolution telemetry to describe daily and seasonal movements, habitat use, and activity of Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) in winter
2020Lily MartinEastern Screech-Owl density and the effects of anthropogenic noise in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia
2019Petra SumasgutnerAre Central Asian Golden Eagles genetically distinct? The distribution of the subspecies Aquila chrysaetos daphanea in Mongolia
2018Andrew SchmalfussJuvenile Goshawk movement ecology in the Northeastern United States
2017Beth MendelsohnGreat Gray Owls on the Range Edge: Population Genomics and Ecology of an Elusive Raptor
2016Michaela S. BrinkmeyerUsing high-resolution genetic markers to reveal American Kestrel connectivity: towards understanding kestrel population declines and the impacts of climate change on raptor monitoring and management
2015Not awarded 
2014Meghan JensenThe effect of urbanization on gene expression in a widely distributed North American raptor
2013Francisca Helena Aguiar-SilvaHarpy Eagle nesting territories in Brazilian Forests, during the past 15 years
2012Maria WheelerGenetic Consequences of Different Approaches to Reintroduction:An Example with Bald and Golden Eagles
2010Todd WhikloNest structure and breeding habitat characteristics of Barred Owls in Manitoba
2009Bishnu Prasad ShresthaStatus and Distribution of Critically Endangered Vultures; Gyps bengalensisGyps tenuirostris and Sarcogyps calvus in Dang Deukhuri Foothill Forests and West Rapti Wetlands, an Important Bird Area of Nepal
2008Ralph BuijEvaluating the impact of land-use on resident and migratory raptors in West African savannas
2007Ronald Kale MulwaSurvey of raptors in the isolated hilltop forests of Muumoni, Endau and Nuu Hills of Kitui and Mwingi districts in eastern Kenya
2006Ricardo PerezDistribution of birds of prey in Montecristo National Park, Santa Ana, El Salvador, (Evaluación del rol de las aves rapaces en el mosaico de habitats naturales y perturbados del parque nacional Montecristo y su zona de influencia, durante la estación reproductora 2007, Santa Ana, El Salvador)
2005Isabel CaballeroDNA analysis of population structure and subspecies composition of reestablished Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) populations in the Midwest
2004Muhammad IqbalCompilation of raptor notes in Sumatra, Indonesia; Sara Ress. Use of stable hydrogen isotopes to identify and assess yearly variation of natal origins among raptors migrating through the Florida Keys.
2003Heather LernerTesting hypotheses of Harpy Eagle phylogenetics and phylogeography.
1994Robert SheehyA phylogenetic analysis of the avian family Accipitridae based on molecular data
2002Timothy T. WeberNorthern Goshawk habitat on the north coastal region of California
2001Stephanie GrossmanResponses of a forest raptor community to critical habitat thresholds in central Alberta.
2001Denis BogomolovThe changes of ranges and habitats of Bright Harriers within European Russia in the twentieth century
2000 Unknown  
1999Laura PliceWinter distribution of American Kestrels
1998Sabine HillAdaptive divergence among populations of kestrels in the Cape Verde Islands
1997 No applications received
1996Samantha J. RayrouxMorphometric variation of five Northern Goshawk populations in North America
1995 Unknown