Barrows, Walter B., 1855-1923

Walter Bradford Barrows was born on January 10, 1855, in Grantville, Massachusetts.

He was an American ornithologist. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1876, Barrows worked as a science instructor at colleges in both Argentina and the United States, including Wesleyan University. He later became a Professor of Zoology and Biology at Michigan State Agricultural College. His fieldwork in South America was documented in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club and The Auk. In 1886, Barrows was appointed an ornithologist in the Biological Survey section at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a position he held until 1894. His 1912 book, “Michigan Bird Life,” is regarded as the most comprehensive work on the subject ever written.

In 1882, he married Elizabeth Maud Withall (1856–1916). He died on February 26, 1923, in East Lansing, Michigan.