Colin Bibby

Colin Joseph Bibby (20 November 1948 – 7 August 2004) was a British ornithologist and conservationist.

Bibby was born in the Wirral, Cheshire, the son of a North Wales farmer. He was educated at Oundle School, Northamptonshire, and at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating in natural sciences. He gained his PhD for a classic study on the ecology and conservation of Dartford warblers.^[1][2]

Bibby was a research staff member for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds from 1971 to 1986, and the head of Conservation Science from 1986 to 1991. In 1991, he moved to BirdLife International, where he led their research team and a major research program, with projects in over 70 countries. In 2001 he became a self-employed environmental consultant. He was also a member of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, and the founding editor of the British Trust for Ornithology journal Ringing and Migration.^[3]

His major contributions were in the development of quantitative approaches to the study of birds for research leading to conservation. He was also a frequent contributor to British Birds magazine.^[4]

In 1994, he was awarded the

He learned that he had an incurable cancer in March 2004 and, on 7 August 2004 at the age of 55, died in his sleep. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, and three sons.

Memorials

A special supplement published with

• Bibby, C. J.; Collar, N. J.; Heath, M. F.; Imboden, Ch.; Johnson, T. H.; Long, A. J.; Stattersfield, A. J.; Thirdgood, S. J. (1992). Putting biodiversity on the map: priority areas for global conservation. Girton College, Cambridge, U.K.: International Council for Bird Preservation.
  LCCN 98196426; vi+90 p. : col. ill. ; 30 cm{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link
  )
• Bibby, Colin J.; Burgess, Neil D.; Hill, David A. (2 December 2012). Bird Census Techniques. Academic Press.
  LCCN 00101511; Simon Mustoe was an additional co-author and co-illustrator for the 2nd edition.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)^[7]