Terence Michael Shortt

Terence Michael Shortt, both an ornithologist and an artist (b at Winnipeg 1 Mar 1911; d at Toronto 28 Dec 1986). He joined the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, in 1930, and his career there spanned 46 years, during which he played an important role in the advancement of ornithology in field research and as an artist of exceptional insight. From 1948, when he became head of Biology Display, Shortt led many expeditions to places such as Galapagos, India and East Africa, collecting materials for the world-class dioramas which he created for the museum. His renderings from life of bird portraits and intimate attitudes of nearly 2000 bird species, display his exceptional powers of observation and his uncanny ability to portray a bird's essence.