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Kenn Kaufman

ケン・カウフマン

Kenn Kaufman

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1954-01-01 （South Bend, Indiana, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
South Bend, Indiana (birthplace) → Wichita, Kansas (childhood–youth) → Oak Harbor, Ohio, U.S. (residence)

Career

Occupations
Author, Artist, Naturalist, Conservationist
Active Years
1970-2025
Affiliations
Black Swamp Bird Observatory (staff/volunteer affiliation), American Birding Association (awarding organization / professional association)
Influenced By
Roger Tory Peterson
Influenced
Contemporary birders and field guide authors

Education

High school (did not graduate)
Period: 1960年代〜1970年代（中退）
Country: United States
Left high school at age 16 to travel across North America pursuing birding.

Awards

Ludlow Griscom Award
1992
Organization: American Birding Association
Result: 受賞
Roger Tory Peterson Award
2008
Organization: American Birding Association
Result: 受賞（生涯にわたる業績への表彰）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kingbird Highway

Memoir / Natural history

A memoir recounting a cross‑country birding odyssey in North America, chronicling long journeys and passion for birding.

migrationjourneyyouthful adventure

A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration

2019 Natural history / Migration ecology

Tracks spring migration, exploring the ecology of migrating birds and the issues surrounding migration.

spring migrationecologyconservation

Flights Against the Sunset: Stories that Reunited a Mother and Son

2008 Nonfiction / Family and bird stories

A collection of stories about events that reunited a mother and son and other bird‑related narratives.

familybird storiesreunion

The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness

2024 Natural history / Historical nonfiction

Explores the birds Audubon missed to illuminate American natural and exploration history.

explorationhistory of ornithologydiscovery

Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding

Field guide / Practical manual

A practical guide explaining identification techniques and observation methods for advanced birders.

identification techniquesobservation methods
Translations
  • Spanish edition: Kaufman guia de campo a las aves de norteamerica

Bibliography

  • A Season on the Wind (2019)
  • Kaufman Focus Guides series (Birds, Butterflies, Mammals, Insects, etc.)
  • Kingbird Highway
  • Lives of North American Birds
  • Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding
  • Flights Against the Sunset (2008)
  • The Birds That Audubon Missed (2024)

Translations of Works

  • Some Kaufman Focus Guides have Spanish and other translations

Style & Themes

Literary Style
practical, concise field‑guide stylenarration based on observational recordsaccessible nonfiction voice
Recurring Motifs
migrationfield observationconservation

Legacy

Kenn Kaufman has greatly contributed to modern birding culture and citizen science through accessible field guides and lifelong advocacy. He has influenced many enthusiasts and researchers and contributed to conservation awareness.

Academic Societies

  • American Birding Association

Archives

  • Archives of personal blog and sighting records (e.g. Crane Creek blog)

In Popular Culture

  • Widely known in the birding community and influenced standards for introductory books and field guides.

Trivia

  • Left high school at 16 to hitchhike around North America pursuing birding.
  • In 1973 set a then‑North American Big Year record of 671 species (later surpassed and affected by regional definition changes).
  • Documented roughly 80,000 miles of cross‑country travel in his memoir Kingbird Highway.
  • Publishes regional migration reports via blog and magazine contributions.