10 Facts About Elizabeth Lack

Elizabeth Lack was a British ornithologist and researcher, best known for her contributions to the massive reference book A Dictionary of Birds.

Elizabeth Lack grew passionate about birds and nature while she was still a young girl.

Elizabeth Lack had parallel interests in violin and piano and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, but the start of World War II brought a premature end to her attendance there.

When her resume reached Richard Fitter, he passed it on the institute's new director, the prominent ornithologist David Elizabeth Lack, who was seeking a secretary.

Elizabeth Lack started off monitoring nests of European robins and tits in Wytham Wood as well as European swifts breeding in the tower of the Oxford University Museum.

Elizabeth Lack published several papers about their observations, which have been called "pioneering discoveries".

David Elizabeth Lack died of cancer at age 62 in March 1973 with his final book unfinished.

Elizabeth and son Peter Lack completed the book and supervised its printing, Island Biology, Illustrated by the Landbirds of Jamaica.

Elizabeth Lack is widely credited for her "prodigious amount of work" to produce the "massive and authoritative" A Dictionary of Birds compiled for the British Ornithologists' Union with co-editor Bruce Campbell, for which she was awarded an honorary life membership in that organization.

Elizabeth Lack died there on 31 July 2015 at age 99.