A talented professor internationally recognized as an expert in birds of prey with Texas Tech University's Department of Natural Resources Management has been elected as a 2019 American Ornithological Society Elective Member, an honor based on significant contributions to ornithology.

Clint Boal, who also serves as assistant leader of the Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the university, received the honor earlier this month.

Boal has authorship/co-authorship of more than 100 peer reviewed papers and 200 professional presentations focused on ecology, conservation, and management of avian species, editorship of two books, and chairing two international symposiums. In addition he's served in several capacities of governance of ornithological societies, including past service as president of the Raptor Research Foundation.

Boal has more than two decades of research projects involving Cooper's Hawks, Northern Goshawks, Mississippi Kites, Golden Eagles, American Kestrels, Swainson's Hawks, Zone-Tailed Hawks, Common Black Hawks, Burrowing Owls, among others. Recently, he co-edited the book Urban Raptors: Ecology and Conservation of Birds of Prey in Cities with independent researcher Cheryl Dykstra.

Boal's other book, Ecology and Conservation of Lesser Prairie-Chickens, co-edited with David Haukos from the USGS Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, won the 'Scientific Book of the Year Award' from the national and Texas chapters of The Wildlife Society.

Boal, who joined the Texas Tech faculty and the USGS Texas Cooperative Unit in 2000, currently has a long-term research project in the British Virgin Islands, with publications coming from this work on Blackpoll Warblers, Bridled Quail-Doves, Bananaquits and other species. The Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit was established at Texas Tech in 1988.

CONTACT: Warren Conway, Chairman and Bricker Endowed Chair in Wildlife Management, Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2841 or warren.conway@ttu.edu

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