An Award-Winning Journey of Discovery and Conservation
Each year, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) bestows the Florence Merriam Bailey Award to recognize an outstanding scientific article published by an early-career ornithologist. In 2023, this honor was awarded to Allison E. Huysman, the lead author of a pivotal study published in Ornithological Applications that illuminated the precise migratory paths and conservation needs of a charismatic shorebird, the Willet 2 .
This award honors the legacy of Florence Merriam Bailey, a pioneering ornithologist who became the first woman "associate" of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1885 and its first woman fellow in 1929 2 6 . Beyond her scientific contributions, she was a passionate conservationist whose activism helped lay the groundwork for the Lacey Act of 1900, a foundational wildlife protection law 6 . The award in her name continues this tradition by celebrating rigorous science that directly informs the preservation of bird species.
Allison Huysman's award-winning work embodies this spirit, using modern technology to answer critical questions about bird migration and championing the need for subspecies-specific conservation strategies.
Recognizing outstanding contributions by early-career ornithologists
Allison E. Huysman
For Willet migration research
At the heart of Huysman's research is the concept of "migratory connectivity"—the science of understanding how different populations of a bird species are connected across their breeding, migratory, and wintering grounds . Why is this so important?
Imagine a bird species that breeds in Canada, migrates through the American Midwest, and winters in Mexico. If conservationists only protect its breeding grounds, but a key stopover site in the Midwest is destroyed, the entire population could collapse. Weak connectivity means birds from one breeding region scatter across many different wintering sites. Strong connectivity, however, means birds from a specific breeding population travel to a specific wintering territory .
Huysman's study focused on establishing this link for the Willet. Understanding the strength and patterns of this migratory connection is fundamental to effective conservation. It ensures that efforts are precisely targeted, protecting not just where a bird breeds or winters, but the entire aerial highway it depends on for survival.
Visualization of migratory connectivity patterns between breeding and wintering grounds
Before this research, the migratory routes and connectivity of the two Willet subspecies—the eastern Willet and the western Willet—were poorly understood. While the eastern subspecies was known to migrate to South America and the western to both the southern U.S. and South America, the specific breeding-to-wintering connections were a mystery. This lack of knowledge made it impossible to determine which populations were declining and why, hampering effective conservation planning .
To solve this puzzle, Huysman and her colleagues embarked on a comprehensive tracking study.
The team deployed three types of tracking devices on Willets captured at various breeding and wintering sites.
Researchers synthesized all available tracking data from previous studies into an Atlas of Migratory Connectivity.
The collected data was analyzed to determine the strength of migratory connectivity for each subspecies.
The findings were striking and revealed a clear dichotomy between the two subspecies.
Exhibited very strong migratory connectivity. Birds breeding in the Atlantic region migrated exclusively to a wintering area in northeastern South America. Meanwhile, those from the Midatlantic/Caribbean breeding region wintered solely in the Caribbean and northern South America. This tight link means a threat in a specific wintering location could devastate a distinct breeding population .
Showed weaker migratory connectivity. Birds from a single breeding population in the Great Basin wintered in multiple locations across the southern U.S., Mexico, and Central America. This suggests a threat to one wintering ground may not be as catastrophic for the overall breeding population, as other wintering sites could act as a buffer .
The study concluded that the two subspecies face different threats across their full annual cycles and therefore require subspecies-specific conservation strategies .
| Subspecies | Connectivity |
|---|---|
| Eastern Willet | Very Strong |
| Western Willet | Moderate/Weak |
| Connectivity | Vulnerability |
|---|---|
| Strong | High |
| Weak | Lower |
GPS Tags
Geolocators
VHF Transmitters
Modern migration ecology relies on a suite of sophisticated tools. The following "research reagent solutions" were central to the award-winning Willet study and are fundamental to the field.
These are the gold standard for precise tracking. Attached to a bird like a small backpack, they record and store detailed location coordinates at programmed intervals. Their primary function is to provide an accurate, step-by-step map of an individual's journey, revealing exact migration routes, stopover sites, and wintering destinations .
These are small, lightweight devices that measure ambient light intensity. By recording sunrise and sunset times, researchers can estimate the bird's geographic location after recapturing the animal and downloading the data. Their key function is to provide long-term, large-scale movement data for smaller bird species .
These tags emit a unique radio signal. Researchers use handheld antennas or stationary towers to pick up these signals. Their main function is for fine-scale, local tracking—for instance, monitoring a bird's movements within a specific wetland or marsh—or for relocating birds to recapture them and retrieve data-logging devices .
This is less a physical tool and more a critical analytical framework. It is a comprehensive database that synthesizes all available tracking data for North American birds. Its function is to provide a "big picture" view of migration, allowing scientists to identify data gaps and analyze patterns across studies .
Allison E. Huysman's award-winning research represents a significant leap forward in our understanding of shorebird migration. By meticulously mapping the journeys of the eastern and western Willets, her team demonstrated that a one-size-fits-all approach to conservation is ineffective. The strong migratory connectivity of the eastern Willet demands targeted, international cooperation to protect its specific flight path, while the more diffuse western Willet requires a broader strategy.
This work, honored with the Florence Merriam Bailey Award, continues the legacy of its namesake by blending meticulous scientific inquiry with an unwavering commitment to bird conservation. It provides a powerful model for how modern technology and data synthesis can be used to safeguard our migratory birds, ensuring that their incredible journeys continue to inspire generations to come.