Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali
The Birdman of India
12 November 1896 – 1987
How it began
At ten, Sálim was given an air-gun by his uncle. He shot a sparrow with a curious yellow streak below its neck, and his uncle sent him to the Bombay Natural History Society to have it identified.
The Honorary Secretary, W. S. Millard, named it a Yellow-throated Sparrow and showed the boy the Society’s collection of stuffed birds. That single afternoon decided the rest of his life.
At a glance
- Born — 12 November 1896
- Died — 1987, aged 91
- Field — ornithology, natural history
- Institution — Bombay Natural History Society
- Trained under Professor Stresemann, Berlin
- Best known for The Book of Indian Birds
Honours
- J. Paul Getty International Award
- Golden Ark — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Gold Medal, British Ornithologists’ Union — rarely given to a non-British recipient
- Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan, Government of India
- Three honorary doctorates
- Nominated to the Rajya Sabha, 1985
Writing
No one did more to popularise the study of birds in India. Alongside journal papers he wrote field guides and books for general readers, and they are still where most Indian birdwatchers start.
The Book of Indian Birds
Still the standard first book for anyone taking up birdwatching in India.
The Fall of a Sparrow
His 1985 autobiography, tracing the life that began with one sparrow.
Regional field guides and papers
Decades of survey work written up for both scientists and lay readers.
In his own words
His interest, he wrote, was in the living bird in its natural environment.
He died in 1987 at the age of 91. For all the honours, he remained what he had been at ten years old: an endlessly curious person with a passion for birds.
