Leslie Brown Research Grant

Leslie Brown Research Grant

THE AWARD: The grant provides financial assistance to promote the research and the dissemination of information on African birds of prey. Applications that do not focus on African raptors will not be reviewed for funding.


ABOUT LESLIE BROWN: Leslie Brown was of one of the most inspired and productive raptor conservation biologists in the 20th century. Brown was a Scotchman, born in India, who settled down in Kenya, where, when he wasn’t working on his day job in the country’s agricultural ministry, was studying birds or prey, or dabbling in flamingos. He is most often associated with Eagle Hill, where he studied the 10 species of eagles that nest there. He passed away in 1980 at the young age of 63.

Leslie Brown: Some Memories, JRR 1981

In Memoriam: Leslie H. Brown 1917-1980


TO APPLY: applicants must submit the following documents:

• A cover letter highlighting the motivations, objectives, and expected outcomes of the study.

• 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.


AMOUNT: up to $3,000 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


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.




Past Recipients

YearBrown RecipientTitle
2023Diana Vieira JorgeFirst assessment of the Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) population in Angola: unravelling the impact of abrupt population declines on the ecology and genetics of a previously abundant species
2022Papanie Bai SesayA first assessment of the status of the Hooded Vulture population - Necrosyrtes monachus – in Sierra Leone.
2021Kudzanai S. DhliwayoThe influence of supplementary feeding on the movements of African White-backed Vultures in southern Africa
2020Evan R. BuechleyFirst assessment of the Bearded Vulture in Ethiopia: quantifying population size and spatial ecology to inform conservation
2019Megan MurgatroydValidating a pan-African wind turbine collision risk map tool for Verreaux’s Eagles.
2018Melissa WhitecrossSouthern Banded Snake Eagle distribution and demographics in South Africa
2017Petro SamwelInvestigation of Illegal owl egg trade in communities surrounding the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania
2016Chaona PhiriMovement, recruitment and threats to vultures in Zambia
2016Rebecca GarbettInvestigating sources of lead for vultures and wildlife: is lead ammunition the cause of lead exposure in African vultures?
2015Petra SumasgutnerRaptors in a changing world ‐ understanding the response of predators to increasing urbanisation and climate change in Southern Africa
2014Marie-Sofie Garcia-HeraAssessing the healthiness of a scarce and threatened raptor endemic to southern Africa, the black harrier (Circus maurus)
2013Rowen van EedenUnderstanding the cause of the Martial Eagle decline in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.
2013Martin OdinoLocal community training on raptor identification and monitoring at Bunyala Rice Irrigation Scheme.
2012Ruth AgakuBasic monitoring and national advocacy for the conservation of vultures in Nigeria.
2011Darcy OgadaConserving threatened vultures in northern Kenya: collaborating with community-run conservancies to understand how land-use practices and human activities impact vulture populations
2011Robin WhytockThe Effects of the Commercial Bushmeat Trade on Raptors in the Ebo Forest, Littoral Province, Cameroon
2010Allai OrimbaThe distribution and abundance of the locally threatened Banded Snake Eagle in the Lake Victoria Region
2009Darcy OgadaEcological implications of vulture extinction on facultative scavengers and disease transmission
2008Mwangi GithiruOverall conservation status of raptors in sub-Saharan Africa
2007Paul Kariuki Ndang’ang’aReview of the status of African Raptors
2006Ahon Dibie BernardRufous Fishing Owl: distribution and conservation status in Cote d’Ivoire
2005Darcy OgadaLand-use practices, rural culture and the conservation of Mackinder’s Eagle Owls in Kenya
2004Graham FairhurstReproductive biology of African Goshawks (Accipiter tachiro) in fragmented landscapes of the Taita Hills, Kenya
2003Odette CurtisBlack Sparrowhawks vs the Working for Water Project: recognising and resolving a conflict of environmental interests on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.
2002Ruth TingayPopulation dynamics and behavioural ecology of the critically endangered Madagascar Fish Eagle: implications for conservation.
2001Maria DiekmannCape Griffon Vulture telemetry project.
2001Ngoni ChitemamusweMotobo Hills Black Eagle monitoring and educational project.
2000Not awarded 
1999Andrew BurtonEagles of Tanzania’s Northern Rift Valley
1998Suzanne ShultzEcology and conservation of the Crowned Hawk-Eagle, West Africa
1998Anthony van ZylLife history traits of Common Kestrel in Kenya.
1997Patrick BensonBreeding status, reproductive success and mortality factors of Cape Vultures (Gyps coprotheres)at the Kranberg Colony, Northern Provine, South Africa
1997Reuven YosefStudy of a new subspecies of the Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) from southern Africa.
1996Not awarded 
1995Simon ThomsettEagle Hill conservation awareness and education project, Kenya.
1994Jim BerkelmanHabitat requirements of the Madagascar Fish Eagle.
1993Suanne UngerEducational efforts to protect the Cape Vulture along with doing educational outreach programs.
1992Kevin McCann 
1992G.E.A. Banfield 
1991John D. FossResearch on the Rio Bio-Bio in Chile
1990Andrew JenkinsPeregrine Falcon
1989Gerard MalanSubject Pale Chanting Goshawk
1989Anthony van ZylRedbreasted Sparrowhawks
1988Robert E. SimmonsWahlberg’s Eagle
1988Phoebe BarnardPublication of “Gabar.”
1987Hilary WelchNorth African Migrant Raptors
1986Vicky J. MeretskyEgyptian Vultures