The once-invisible legacy of Elizabeth L. Kerr, a naturalist in the early 20th century, and her contributions to Colombian ornithology

Lay Summary center dot Historically, ornithology has been a male-dominated field. center dot Mrs. Elizabeth Kerr collected birds and mammals in the early 20th century in Colombia, including holotypes of new species and subspecies to science. center dot Kerr's legacy has not been recognized despite her important contributions. center dot We describe Kerr's legacy to Colombian ornithology. center dot Kerr's story inspired an all-female ornithological expedition in 2020. center dot By telling Kerr's story, we aim to raise awareness of implicit biases and barriers faced by women in science. Mrs. Elizabeth L. Kerr was a bird and mammal collector who traveled to Colombia in the early 20th century when women had very limited access to education or scientific expeditions. Despite her notable contributions to Colombian ornithology, including collecting the holotype of a new species to science (Choco Tinamou-Crypturellus kerriae), her name is not mentioned in historical accounts of ornithology in Colombia. Here, we describe what we know about Kerr's life as a collector and her legacy in the study of Colombian birds. We highlight the fact that Kerr has become a role model for female naturalists and provide a short account of an all-female ornithological expedition to resurvey one of Kerr's collecting sites. By bringing Kerr's legacy to the public eye, we hope to raise awareness of implicit bias and barriers faced by women in science.