Charles Sibley facts for kids

Charles Gald Sibley (born August 7, 1917, died April 12, 1998) was an American bird scientist and molecular biologist. He greatly changed how scientists classify birds. His work helped us understand the family tree of modern birds much better.

Sibley's way of classifying birds has greatly influenced major bird organizations, like the American Ornithologists' Union.

Charles Sibley is not related to the famous bird artist and author David Sibley.

Life and Amazing Work

Charles Sibley studied in California at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his first degree in 1940 and his Ph.D. in Zoology in 1948. He also studied paleontology and botany.

Early Adventures and Discoveries

His first fieldwork was in Mexico in 1939 and 1941. During World War II, while serving in the U.S. Navy, he explored the Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, and the Philippines. He was based for much of the war at Emirau Island in Papua New Guinea.

After college, he worked as a Zoology instructor and Curator of Birds at the University of Kansas (1948-1949). Then, he was an Assistant Professor of Zoology at San Jose State University (1949-1953).

Leading Bird Research

From 1953 to 1965, he was a Professor of Zoology and led the bird laboratory at Cornell University. Later, from 1965 to 1986, he became a Professor of Biology and Curator of Birds at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. He also taught at San Francisco State University and Sonoma State University.

Sibley became very interested in how different species could mix and what that meant for evolution and taxonomy (how living things are grouped). In the early 1960s, he started using molecular studies. He looked at blood proteins and then used a method called electrophoresis to study egg-white proteins.

DNA and Bird Family Trees

By the early 1970s, Sibley was a pioneer in DNA-DNA hybridisation studies. His goal was to finally discover the true relationships between all modern bird groups. At first, his ideas were very controversial. Some scientists thought his methods were not reliable, while others believed they were groundbreaking.

Over time, as lab methods improved, more scientists began to agree with his findings. However, the full picture is still complex. Some of Sibley's results, like the close link between chicken-like birds and waterfowl, have been proven true. But other ideas, such as grouping many different birds into the Ciconiiformes, turned out to be incorrect.

Despite some disagreements, Sibley's ongoing work changed how people thought about bird relationships. His new family tree of living birds, based on DNA analysis, was published between 1986 and 1993. It was both debated and very important.

Awards and Key Books

In 1986, he was chosen as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S. In 1988, Sibley and Jon Ahlquist received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal for their work. He was also elected President of the International Ornithological Congress in 1990.

His most important books, Phylogeny and Classification of Birds (with Ahlquist) and Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World (with Burt Monroe), are among the most referenced works in bird science. The first book introduced the very influential Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.

Working with Others

During the 1970s, Charles Sibley was a well-known figure in bird science. He often worked alone or with a few close colleagues, especially Jon Ahlquist. Even so, he was very good at convincing other scientists to share blood, tissue, and egg white samples. These samples were essential for his research.

Other Bird Scientists Named Sibley

Charles Gald Sibley is not related to the famous bird artist and guide author David Sibley. However, their families knew each other. One of Charles' daughters even babysat David, and David's father, Fred, worked for Charles at Yale.

Even though there is some family resemblance, Charles did a lot of research into his family history. He could only find that any family connection was no closer than fourth cousins.

See also

In Spanish: Charles Sibley para niños

• Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy