Salim Moizuddin Abdul Ali, one of the greatest ornithologists and naturalists of all time, born on November 12, 1896 in Mumbai
First Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys in India and famously known as the “Birdman of India”
Was the key figure behind the Bombay Natural History Society after 1947
He published a research paper discussing the nature and activities of the weaver bird in 1930. The article made him famous and established his name in the field of ornithology.
“The Book of Indian Birds” published by him in 1941 is still the bible for budding ornithologists.
Along with S. Dillon Ripley, a world-famous ornithologist, wrote ‘Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan’. He also published “Common Birds” in 1967 and autobiography “The Fall of Sparrow” in 1985.
The Government of India honored him with a Padma Bhushan in 1958 and the Padma Vibushan in 1976.
An international group of ornithologists from Sweden, India, China, US and Russia named a newly discovered species after him – Zoothera salimalii
Zoothera salimalii (Himalayan thrush)
Found in northeastern India and adjacent parts of China