Eugene Schieffelin

Eugene Schieffelin
Born(1827-01-29)January 29, 1827
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 15, 1906(1906-08-15) (aged 79)
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
SpouseCatherine Tonnelé Hall
RelativesSamuel Schieffelin (brother)
Bradhurst Schieffelin (brother)

Eugene Schieffelin (January 29, 1827 – August 15, 1906)[1] was an American amateur ornithologist who belonged to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the New York Zoological Society. In 1877, he became chairman of the American Acclimatization Society and joined their efforts to introduce non-native species to North America for economic and cultural reasons. His 1890 release of European starlings in Central Park resulted in the first successful starling nesting in North America to be observed by naturalists.

In the decades after his death, Schiefflin was recast as being solely responsible for the introduction of starlings, and in 1948, Edwin Way Teale claimed (without evidence) that he had been motivated by a desire to introduce all of Shakespeare's birds to North America.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ESObit1906 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fugate2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).