James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund
Inspiration: Dr. James A. Kushlan is a distinguished ornithologist, writer, educator, and conservationist, with long ties to BirdsCaribbean and the region through his research on waterbirds and as a co-member of The Waterbird Council. Professionally, he has served as research associate at the Smithsonian Institution, director of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, professor of biology at the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M, and wildlife biologist with the U.S. National Park Service. He is the author of ten books and over 250 technical papers and articles.
Dr. Kushlan has served as president of the American Ornithologists’ Union (now American Ornithological Society) and Waterbird Society. He is the founder and past chair of Heron Conservation (the IUCN Heron Specialist Group), the North American Waterbird Conservation Initiative and Waterbird Conservation for the Americas, the Bahamas Environment Fund, and the Bird Conservation Alliance, and was a founding member of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and Wetlands International. Through his direct generous donation, BirdsCaribbean will award a competitive grant every year to deserving waterbird projects starting in 2023.
Goal of the Award: The fund supports biological, ecological and conservation research on waterbirds in the Caribbean region. Waterbirds are defined as any species of bird reliant on wetland or marine habitats, including seabirds.
Eligibility: Grants will be awarded to anyone (individuals or organizations) without restriction as to academic credentials or affiliation. Applicants from the Caribbean will be given consideration over other nationalities. Studies on rare, endemic, resident, and at risk species and studies leading to their conservation in the Caribbean will be prioritized.
Use of Funds: Any costs associated with research are eligible; the project does not require matching funds.
Award Amount: Two awards of $2,500 or one award of $5,000.
Awardees will be required to submit a report to the BirdsCaribbean’s Grant Committee one year from the project start date, and a blog article about this work for our broader community. Two-year projects require a second annual report. We also encourage award recipients to present the results at the biennial International Conference of BirdsCaribbean, and publish in the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. Presentations and publications are expected to acknowledge both the James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund and BirdsCaribbean for support.
Check our pages, blog post and social media for announcements of when the fund is open for grant applications & for details of how to apply.
BirdsCaribbean’s general Grant Application Guidelines and Proposal Submission Form are available here.
Questions or inquiries may be directed to alexia.morales@birdscaribbean.org (Grants Committee), and copied to lisa.sorenson@birdscaribbean.org and info@birdscaribbean.org.
Please consider making a tax deductible contribution to BirdsCaribbean to help us continue our conservation and research work.
Thank you for your participation and support!
Past James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation award winners:
| Project Year/s | Awardee | Project |
| 2026 | Alieny González Alfonso | Do the small urban wetlands of Havana city contribute to waterbird conservation in Cuba? |
| 2026 | Dalila Lezcano García | Current status and dynamics of marine and coastal bird diversity elements in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula Biosphere Reserve in Cuba |
| 2025-2027 | Adriana Vallarino Moncada | Trophic Ecology as a Tool to Understand Differences in the Reproductive Success of Two Species of Terns (Onychoprion fuscata and Onychoprion anaethetus) in the Mexican Caribbean |
| 2025 | Manuel López Salcedo | Discovering the Birds of the Monte Cabaiguán Wetland, Las Tunas, Cuba |
| 2025 | Alcides L. Morales-Pérez | Monitoring Breeding Colonies, Nesting Success and Productivity of White-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaeton lepturus catesbyi) in the North-west Coastal Cliffs Important Bird Area in Puerto Rico |
| 2025 | Jemimah Rivera | Diversity, Abundance, Reproductive Colonies and Distribution of Waterbirds at Los Testigos Archipelago, Venezuela |
| 2024 | Ailen Anido | Avifauna of Las Balsas wetland, Gibara, Holguín, Cuba |
| 2024 | Susana Aguilar | Update of the status and trends of American Flamingos in Cuba |
| 2024 | Yanelis Sánchez | Characterization of the community of aquatic birds associated with the wetland of the San Miguel de Parada Fauna Refuge |
| 2024 | Jethro van’t Hul | Enhancing conservation initiatives for Red-billed Tropicbirds in Boven National Park, St. Eustatius |
| 2023 | Ivalut Ruiz | First Field Inventory of the Avifauna in Los Colorados’ Archipelago, northwestern Cuba |