Margaret Sordahl ( – ) was an ornithologist who worked for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. She collected two holotype specimens, Erythropygia coryphaeus abboti and Serinus albogularis sordahlae, the latter of which was named in her honour.
Biography Margaret Froiland was born in in Milan. She married Lois Sordahl, who became Field Director for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory."Women the World Over." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Sep 15 1929: 1. ProQuest. 20 Jan. 2022 . The couple met at St. Olaf College."Science to Take Youthful Couple to African Wild: Husband Will Study Sun among the Hottentots." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Jul 24 1929: 25. ProQuest. 20 Jan. 2022 .
Whilst the couple were stationed at the Smithsonian's Brukkaros Solar Observatory in Namibia, Sordahl collected many specimen's for the museum's natural science collections, including the holotype for a species of canary, Serinus albogularis sordahlae. The species was subsequently named after her. As an eponym, she was honoured since she "maintained her interest in zoological collecting under rather trying and difficult circumstances".Plug, C. "History of the Solar Radiation Expedition to Mount Brukkaros, South West Africa, 1926-1931." South African Journal of Science 85.3 (1989): 174. She described the bird and its behaviour, stating that "these birds stay on the mountains during the whole year, living on top of the mountain during the hottest months of the year".
Sordahl also collected another new species of robin, Erythropygia coryphaeus abboti, which was named after Charles G. Abbot, who was Director of the Smithsonian. Twenty-seven species were collected by her - ten were new to the Smithsonian's collection and two were new to science. Other birds collected, included a starling, a shrike that "whistles like boys", a bulbul and other desert-dwelling species."Washingtonian Finds Bird that Whistles Like Boys: Is among Rare Zoological Specimens Received by Smithsonian from Africa; Breed Frequents Temperate Climate of Mountain Sections." The Washington Post (1923-1954) Mar 03 1933: 11. ProQuest. 20 Jan. 2022 . Margaret's brother also accompanied the couple to Namibia.
Death and legacy Margaret Sordahl died in 1995 in Friendswood. Her field notebook and other archival material relating to her time in Namibia, is held by the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
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External links
Diary entries - 1930-1932 Explorations and field work of the Smithsonian