Edwards Prize

The Edwards Prize for the best major article in each volume of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology (formerly The Wilson Bulletin) was first awarded by the WOS in 1970.

The Prize is named in memory of Ernest P. “Buck” Edwards (1919–2011). Dr. Edwards taught ornithology, ecology and field natural history at Sweet Briar College from 1965 to 1990. He published several books, including A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico (1972); Birds of Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park – A Field Guide (2006); and The Hummingbirds of North and Middle America (2008). Dr. Edwards proposed the idea for a Best Paper Prize and provided initial supporting funds. 

The Edwards Prize-winning paper is chosen by the Editor of the WJO. It consists of a plaque presented at the annual meeting following completion of each volume of the journal. Recent Edwards Prize-winning papers are Open Access available on the WJO website and by clicking the on the paper titles in the list below.

Award Recipients

2023Amanda W. Van Dellen and James S. SedingerPredation risk and settlement decisions by colonially nesting Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 134:251-259
2022Riccardo Ton, Andy J. Boyce, Adam E. Mitchell, James C. Mouton, Nonno R. Gobbo, William Blake, and Bret TobalskeGalliformes exhibit reduced cardiorespiratory morphology yet similar skeletal mass compared with other gamebirds. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 133: 426-434
2021Sumiko K. Weir, Shandelle M. Henson, James L. Hayward, Gordon J. Atkins, Ashley A. Polski, WayAnne Watson, and Amanda G. SandlerEvery-other-day clutch-initiation synchrony as an adaptive response to egg cannibalism in Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 132:575-586
2020Paul W. Sykes, Mary C. Freeman, Joan J. Sykes, John T. Seginak, M. David Oleyar, and Joshua P. EganAnnual survival, site fidelity, and longevity in the eastern coastal population of the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 131:96-110
2019Michael Titulaer, Alicia Melgoza-Castillo, Alberto Macias-Duarte, and Arvind O. PanjabiSeed size, bill morphology, and handling time influence preferences for native vs. nonnative grass seeds in three declining sparrows. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 130:445-465
2018Martin Nyffeler, Michael R. Maxwell, and J. V. Remsen, Jr.Bird predation by praying mantises: a global perspective. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 129:331-344
2017Maria Nandadevi Cortes-Rodriguez, Rachel J. Sturge, and Kevin E. OmlandMorphological and genetic variation of the Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) across its widely disjunct distribution in Central America. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 128:22-31
2016Peter A. Hosner, Michael J. Andersen, Mark B. Robbins, Abraham Urbay-Tello, Luis Cueto-Aparicio, Karen Verde-Guerra, Luis A. Sánchez-González, Adolfo G. Navarro-Sigüenza, Roger L. Boyd, Jano Núñez, Jorge Tiravanti, Mariela Combe, Hannah L. Owens, and A. Townsend PetersonAvifaunal surveys of the Upper Apurímac River Valley, Ayacucho and Cuzco Departments, Peru: new distributional records and biogeographic, taxonomic, and conservation implications. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 127:563-581
2015Jeremy J. Kirchman and Kathryn J. SchneiderRange expansion and the breakdown of Bergmann’s Rule in Red-Bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 126:236-248
2014Donald Kroodsma, Debra Hamilton, Julio E. Sánchez, Bruce E. Byers, Hernán Fandiño-Mariño, David W. Stemple, Jill M. Trainer, and George V. N. PowellBehavioral evidence for song learning In the suboscine bellbirds (Procnias spp.; Cotingidae). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 125:1-14
2013Storrs L. OlsonHistory, structure, evolution, behavior, distribution, and ecology of the extinct Hawaiian genus Ciridops(Fringillidae, Carduelini, Drepanidini). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124:651-674
2012Morton L. Isler and Bret M. WhitneySpecies limits in antbirds (Thamnophilidae): the Scale-backed Antbird (Willisornis poecilinotus) complex. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123:1-14
2011Robb S. A. Kaler, Steve E. Ebbert, Clait E. Braun, and Brett K. SandercockDemography of a reintroduced population of Evermann’s Rock Ptarmigan in the Aleutian Islands. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 122:1-14 
2010W. Andrew Cox and Thomas E. MartinBreeding biology of the Three-striped Warbler in Venezuela: a contrast between tropical and temperate parulids. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 121:667-678
2009Kevin Winker and Gary R. GravesGenetic structure of breeding and wintering populations of Swainson’s Warbler. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120:433-445 
2008James A. Cox and Gary L. SlaterCooperative breeding in the Brown-headed Nuthatch. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 119:1-8 
2007Cynthia A. Staicer, Victoria Ingalls, and Thomas W. SherrySinging behavior varies with breeding status of American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 118:439-451 
2006J. Daniel Lambert, Kent P. McFarland, Christopher C. Rimmer, Steven D. Faccio, and Jonathan L. AtwoodA practical model of Bicknell’s Thrush distribution in the Northeastern United States. Wilson Bulletin 117:1-11 
2005Carolyn B. Meyer, Sherri L. Miller, and C. John RalphStand-scale habitat associations across a large geographic region of an old-growth specialist, the Marbled Murrelet. Wilson Bulletin 116:197-210