Cornell Lab of Ornithology, nonprofit organization at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that studies birds and other wildlife
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a research institute at Cornell University in Ithaca dedicated to studying birds and wildlife, housed in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center within Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary. The facility features a visitor center with interactive displays, more than five miles of trails through forests, wetlands, and ponds, and opportunities to observe over 230 bird species in their natural settings.
The lab was founded in 1915 by Arthur A. Allen, who created the first graduate program in bird study in the United States. Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary developed in the 1950s when donors and landowners purchased or donated farmland to protect it, with the first buildings constructed in 1957 with support from businessman Lyman Stuart.
The site takes its name from the yellow-bellied sapsucker, a woodpecker species that breeds in the surrounding woods and appears on the lab's logo. Visitors can see how the place brings people together through bird watching and makes nature observation part of everyday life.
The center is open Tuesday through Sunday from morning until late afternoon and hosts about 55,000 visitors annually. The trails are accessible to visitors and offer different routes through various habitats, with the best bird watching experience occurring during early morning and late afternoon hours.
The lab operates eBird, an online platform where bird watchers report their sightings and millions of observations from around the world have been collected. This database helps scientists understand changes in bird populations and migration patterns, contributing significantly to global understanding of bird ecology.
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