Author Kenn Kaufman Talks About Warblers & Book Projects

Recap of His Visit to Concord, Cambridge, and Nuttall Ornithological Club

Earlier this week Kenn Kaufman visited the Boston area as a guest of the Nuttall Ornitholodical Club. In addition to a talk he gave on "The Hidden History of American Warblers", Kenn joined Peter Alden for a bird walk at Mt. Auburn Cemetery and a lucheon in Concord. Kenn has written 14 books including the Kaufman Field Guide series. He spoke to Peter and interviewed him about the recent history of birding for an upcoming book he plans to publish.

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The Hidden History of American Warblers TALK DESCRIPTION: Today, the American warblers (members of the family Parulidae) are very popular, and birders eagerly await their migratory return every spring. Two centuries ago, however, they were far from popular—they caused endless confusion for early naturalists. Initially they were not even recognized as a distinct family, with some species classified as thrushes, flycatchers, or creepers. Distinct names were often applied to males, females, young birds, or spring and fall plumages of the same warbler. Rare hybrids were sometimes claimed as new species, with one such case snaring Nuttall Club founder William Brewster himself. Some warblers went undiscovered for years, while others (like the “Carbonated Warbler”) probably never existed at all. While researching my latest book, The Birds That Audubon Missed, I was constantly surprised by things I hadn’t known before about warbler history. In this program, I will present some of my favorites from among these back stories.

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Peter Alden gives Kenn Kaufman a tour of his extensive library known as the "Papernet".

Both Peter and Kenn have extensive careers in book publishing and also leading birding tours.

About Kenn Faufman A dedicated naturalist from the age of six, Kenn Kaufman burst onto the birding scene as a teenager in the 1970s, hitch-hiking all over North America in pursuit of birds—an adventure later chronicled in his cult-classic book Kingbird Highway. After several years as a leader of birding tours worldwide, he transitioned to a career as a writer, editor, and illustrator. Most of his energy currently goes into book projects and painting bird portraits. His 14 books include eight titles in the Kaufman Field Guides series, as well as his latest, The Birds That Audubon Missed, published in May 2024. Kenn is a field editor for the National Audubon Society, a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society, and the only person to have received the American Birding Association’s lifetime achievement award twice.