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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Storrs Olson

Emeritus Curator
Department / Division
Vertebrate Zoology / Birds
Education
  • Sc.D. Johns Hopkins University (1972)
  • M. S. Florida State University (1968)
  • B.A. Florida State University (1966)
Research Interests

Fossil avifaunas and paleoenvironments of Hawaii, Bermuda, and the West Indies. Biogeography of the avifauna of the archipelago and lowlands of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Phylogeny and systematics of Hawaiian and various other birds, mainly Neotropical.

Publications
Journal Article
Book Review
Book
Book Chapter
  • Olson, Storrs L. 2007. "The "walking eagle" Wetmoregyps daggetti Miller---a scaled-up version of the Savanna Hawk Buteogallus meridionalis." In Festschrift for Ned K. Johnson: geographic variation and evolution in birds. Cicero, Carla and Remsen, J. V., Jr., editors. 110–114. In Ornithological Monographs, 63.
  • Olson, Storrs L. and James, Helen F. 2004. "Fossil birds from the Hawaiian Islands: evidence for wholesale extinction by man before western contact [reprint of Science 217:633-35]." In Foundations of Biogeography: Classic Papers with Commentaries. Lomolino, D., Sax, F., and Brown, J. H., editors. 1023–1025. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
  • Olson, Storrs L. and Rasmussen, Pamela C. 2001. "Miocene and Pliocene birds from the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina." In Geology and paleontology of the Lee Creek mine, North Carolina, III. Ray, Clayton Edward and Bohaska, David J., editors. 233–365. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 90.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1999. "Early Eocene birds from eastern North America: a faunule from the Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia." In Early Eocene vertebrates and plants from the Fisher/Sullivan Site (Nanjemoy Formation) Stafford County, Virginia.. Weems, Robert E. and Grimsley, Gary J., editors. 123–132. In Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 152.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1999. "The anseriform relationships of Anatalavis Olson and Parris (Anseranatidae), with a new species from the Lower Eocene London Clay." In Avian paleontology at the close of the 20th century. Olson, Storrs L., editor. 231–243. In Proceedings of the 4th International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution Washington, D. C..
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1997. "Towards a Less Imperfect Understanding of the Systematics and Biogeography of the Clapper and King Rail Complex (Rallus longirostris and R. elegans)." In The Era of Allan R.Phillips: A Festschrift. 93–111. Horizon Communications.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1997. "Avian Biogeography in the Islands of the Pacific Coast of Western Panamá." In The Era of Allan R.Phillips: A Festschrift. 69–82. Horizon Communications.
  • James, Helen F. and Olson, Storrs L. 1994. "Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands. Part II. Passeriformes [abridged version of 1991 Ornithological Monograph 46]." In A Natural History of the Hawaiian Islands: Selected Readings II. Kay, E. A., editor. 456–466. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1994. "The Atlantic Islands." In Islands. 84–89.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1994. "Islands of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans." In Islands. Stevenson, Robert E. and Talbot, Frank H., editors. 84–89. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press.
  • Olson, Storrs L. and James, Helen F. 1994. "Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands. Part I. Non-passeriformes [abridged version of 1991 Ornithological Monograph 45]." In A Natural History of the Hawaiian Islands: Selected Readings II. Kay, E. A., editor. 439–455. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1992. "A new family of primitive landbirds from the early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming." In Papers in avian paleontology honoring Pierce Brodkorb. Campbell, Kenneth E., Jr., editor. 127–136. In Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Science Series, 36.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1991. "The Atlantic Islands." In Oceans and Islands. Talbot, Frank H. and Stevenson, Robert E., editors. 166–168. Smithmark.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1991. "Patterns of avian diversity and radiation in the Pacific as seen through the fossil record." In The Unity of Evolutionary Biology. Dudley, E. C., editor. 314–318. Dioscorides Press. In Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology.
  • Clarke, D., Bourne, W. R. P., Crosskey, R. W., Edwards, A. J., McCullogh, N., Noble, L., and Olson, Storrs L. 1990. "The zoology of St. Helena." In Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 10–21. London: Zoological Society.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1990. "Forward." In Recent Advances in the Study of Neogene Fossil Birds. v–vi. In Ornithological Monographs, 44.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1989. "Extinction on islands: man as a catastrophe." In Conservation Biology for the Next Century. Western, D. and Pearl, M., editors. 50–53. Oxford University Press.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1989. "Aspects of global avifaunal dynamics during the Cenozoic." In Acta XIX Congressus Internationalis Ornithologici. Ouellet, Henri, editor. 2023–2029. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press. 2
  • Olson, Storrs L. and James, Helen F. 1989. "Fragile outposts [about Hawaiian fossil birds]." In Lords of the Air. Page, Jake and Morton, Eugene S., editors. 110–115. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books.
  • Houde, Peter and Olson, Storrs L. 1988. "Small Arboreal Non-Passerine Birds from the Early Tertiary of Western North America." In Acta XIXth Congressus Internationalis Ornithologici. 2030–2036.
  • Olson, Storrs L. and Kurochkin, E. N. 1988. "Introduction: Symposium 35: The Early Radiation of Birds." In Acta XIXth Congressus Internationalis Ornithologici. 2022.
  • Cooke, Richard G., Piperno, Dolores R., Ranere, Anthony J., Clary, Karen Husum, Hansell, Patricia, Olson, Storrs L., Wilson, Valerio L., and Weiland, Doris. 1985. "La influencia de las poblaciones humanas sobre los ambientes terrestres de Panamá entre el 10,000 A.C. y el 500 D.C." In Agonía de la Naturaleza Ensayos sobre el costo ambiental del desarrollo Panameño. Heckadon-Moreno, Stanley and Espinosa González, Jaime, editors. 3–25. Panamá: Instituto de Investigación Agropecuaria de Panamá and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1985. "Index to Bird Names." In The Fossil Record of Birds. 239–252. Academic Press.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1985. "The Fossil Record of Birds." In Avian Biology. 79–238. Academic Press. 8
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1984. "Introduction." In The Birds of the Republic of Panama Part 4: Order Passeriformes, Suborder Passeres, Hirundinidae (Swallows) to Fringillidae (Finches). 1–4. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. In Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections ; no. 150.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1984. "A very large enigmatic owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the late Pleistocene at Ladds, Georgia." In Contributions in Quaternary vertebrate paleontology: a volume in memorial to John E. Guilday. Genoways, Hugh H. and Dawson, Mary R., editors. 44–46. In Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication, 8.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1984. "An evaluation of the fossil curlew Palnumenius victima L. Miller (Aves: Scolopacidae)." In Contributions in Quaternary vertebrate paleontology: a volume in memorial to John E. Guilday. Genoways, Hugh H. and Dawson, Mary R., editors. 53–55. In Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication, 8.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1984. "A brief synopsis of the fossil birds from the Pamunkey River and other Tertiary marine deposits in Virginia." In Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Outcropping Tertiary Beds in the Pamunkey River Region, Central Virginia Coastal Plain. Ward, Lauck W. and Krafft, Kathleen, editors. 217–223. Atlantic Coastal Plain Geological Association.
  • Olson, Storrs L. and James, Helen F. 1984. "The role of Polynesians in the extinction of the avifauna of the Hawaiian Islands." In Quaternary extinctions: A prehistoric revolution. Martin, P. S. and Klein, R. G., editors. 768–780. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
  • Olson, Storrs L. and Pregill, Gregory K. 1982. "Introduction to the Paleontology of Bahaman Vertebrates." In Fossil Vertebrates from the Bahamas. 1–7. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 48. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810266.48.1.
  • Olson, Storrs L. and Hilgartner, William B. 1982. "Fossil and subfossil birds from the Bahamas." In Fossil Vertebrates from the Bahamas. 22–56. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 48.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1981. "Cave localities and fossil deposits." In Late Pleistocene Herpetofaunas from Puerto Rico. Pregill, Gregory, editor. 7–17. In University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication, 71.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1980. "A new genus of penguin-like pelecaniform bird from the Oligocene of Washington (Pelecaniformes: Plotopteridae)." In Papers in avian paleontology honoring Hildegarde Howard. Campbell, Kenneth E., Jr., editor. 5l–57. In Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Contributions in Science, 330.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1978. "A paleontological perspective of West Indian birds and mammals." In Zoogeography in the Caribbean. The 1975 Leidy Medal Symposium. Gill, Frank B., editor. 99–117. In Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Special Publication, 13.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1978. "Broadbills." In Bird Families of the World. Harrison, C. J. O., editor. 165–567. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1978. ""Rails" and "Broadbills"." In Bird Families of the World. Harrison, C. J. O., editor. 86–88. New York: Harry Abrams, Inc.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1977. "A synopsis of the fossil Rallidae." In Rails of the World: A Monograph of the Family Rallidae.. 339–373. David R. Godine.
  • Arredondo, Oscar. 1976. "The Great Predatory Birds of the Pleistocene of Cuba." In Collected papers in avian paleontology honoring the 90th birthday of Alexander Wetmore. 169–187. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 27. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810266.27.169.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1976. "Alexander Wetmore and the Study of Fossil Birds." In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore. Olson, Storrs L., editor. xi–xvi. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 27.
  • Olson, Storrs L. 1976. "Oligocene fossils bearing on the origins of the Todidae and the Momotidae (Aves: Coraciiformes)." In Collected papers in avian paleontology honoring the 90th birthday of Alexander Wetmore. Olson, Storrs L., editor. 111–119. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 27.
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