Joseph Beal Steere

Who was Joseph Beal Steere?

Joseph Beal Steere was an American ornithologist.

Steere was born in Rollin, Michigan. He received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1868 and a B. of Law in 1870. From 1870-1873 he traveled in South America, China and Taiwan. He went on another scientific expedition to the Philippines and the Moluccas from 1874-1875. He returned to Michigan to teach zoology and was a professor of Zoology there from 1876 until 1893, when he was forced to resign by the university regents.

He married Helen Buzzard on 30 September 1879.

He took one final excursion in 1901, leading a group of students to the Amazon to collect specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.

Steere described a number of new birds. He is commemorated in the names of a number of birds, including Steere's liocichla Liochicla steerii, wattled broadbill Eurylaimus steerii, black-hooded coucal Centropus steerii and azure-breasted pitta Pitta steerii.

One of his manuscript, Formosa and its inhabitants, deposited in Bentley Historical Library in University of Michigan was translated into Chinese and published in 2009.