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Jon Dunn

Jon Dunn has lived much of his life in California, where he became a birder at age eight, an event triggered, he says, by the life-altering appearance of a bright male Hooded Oriole in his garden. Jon has extensive knowledge of the identification and distribution of North American birds, and has published numerous papers in a wide variety of journals. He has also long been interested in Asian avifaunas. Jon co-authored the sixth and seventh editions of National Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America. He was the Chief Consultant/Editor for the first five editions. He is the co-writer and host of the two-video set Large and Small Gulls of North America, as well as co-author (with Kimball Garrett) of Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution and the Peterson Field Guide to Warblers. Jon is a member of the Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of the American Ornithologists’ Society and has served some 30 years on the California Bird Records Committee. He has also been on the Board of Directors for Western Field Ornithologists for over a decade. In 2012, Jon was the recipient of the ABA’s Roger Tory Peterson Award, given for a lifetime of achievements in promoting the cause of birding. Beyond birds, Jon has a keen interest in politics, history, and the cinema, and a keen appreciation for the poetry and music of Leonard Cohen. Read an interview with Jon on BirdWatchingDaily.com.

Photo: Jo Heindel

Upcoming Tours with Jon

Testimonials for Jon

Jon is the most easy-going tour guide I've met in 28 guided tours. He also found the birds and got us all on them quickly!

- Charles H. on Cuba

This was my first WINGS tour so I really have nothing to compare it to. Jon and Matt Orsie were wonderful tour guides. Their birding skills left me speechless. So many new birds for my life list. The people I met were awesome and I hope to see all of them again. The camaraderie was wonderful. I had a great time and can’t wait to book another WINGS tour!

- Andrew K. on Maryland and West Virginia

I could not imagine a better leader. Outstanding skill locating birds by call and assisting everyone in the group an opportunity to observe. Also, outstanding skill in history of the region. His discussions of historical activities were very interesting and entertaining.

- Evord K. on Georgia and South Carolina

Everything about the tour exceeded my expectations. Never in the field have I been surrounded by so many expert and delightful people, both American and Cuban. I am 85 and have birded all over the world. This Cuba trip ranks with the best of my birding experiences. Of course, having Jon Dunn for the leader had much to do with this.

- Ralph J. on Cuba

Jon is a great leader, entertaining, full of stories especially history but also in a broad range of subjects which kept the rides and tour interesting.

- Dana L. on California: Central and Southern