M. Philip Kahl

In the 1990s, Kahl switched his research to elephants and continued to study them until the 2010s. Throughout his career, Kahl took wildlife photographs for various publications including National Geographic and the Journal of Zoology. Kahl wrote Wonders of Storks in 1978 and was a co-author of Storks, Ibises, and Spoonbills of the World in 1992. Apart from his works, Kahl received a fellowship from the National Science Foundation in the 1960s and one from the American Museum of Natural History in the 1970s. He also became part of the MacArthur Fellows Program in 1988.

• Name — M. Philip Kahl • Birth Name — Marvin Philip Kahl • Born — 28 September 1934 • Birthplace — Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. • Died — 4 December 2012 • Place of death — Sedona, Arizona, U.S. • Education — Butler University (BS) Emory University University of Georgia (MS, PhD) • Occupation — Zoologist

Kahl was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 28, 1934. Growing up, Kahl enjoyed learning about nature when he was a child and began birdwatching while in high school. For his post-secondary education, Kahl studied botany and zoology at Butler University and received a Bachelor of Science in 1956. After Butler, Kahl went to Emory University for a biology program while serving for the United States Army. As part of the Army, he conducted research on how radioactivity impacted nature in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico. While studying psychology and zoology at the University of Georgia, Kahl received a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy during the 1960s.

In 1959, Kahl started a five-year position working for the National Audubon Society as a biologist. While with the NAS, Kahl conducted research on wood storks in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. During the remainder of the 1960s, Kahl worked for the Makerere University College in Uganda for two years before continuing his avian research outside of the college. During this time period, Kahl studied storks with a fellowship from the National Science Foundation and a grant from National Geographic. After expanding his research to flamingos in 1964, Kahl completed his global research of every type of stork by 1970. During the early 1970s, Kahl worked for the American Museum of Natural History as a fellow before continuing his flamingo studies with an additional grant from National Geographic in 1972. From 1974 to 1977, Kahl was a member of the Rare Animal Relief Effort as a researcher. While branching out to research on spoonbills in 1979, Kahl finished his worldwide research on every type of flamingo in 1980. From 1980 to 1989, Kahl traveled across the world to research every spoonbill breed. During this time period, Kahl was named into the MacArthur Fellows Program in 1988. With his MacArthur prize money, Kahl wanted to conduct research on the black-faced spoonbill in North Korea. After he was not allowed to enter the country, Kahl went to China to continue his spoonbill research. At the start of the 1990s, Kahl switched his research topic from birds to the non-verbal behavior of elephants. With a focus on African elephants, Kahl went to Zimbabwe and conducted research at Hwange National Park throughout the 1990s. After completing his primary research, Kahl continued to review his findings until the 2010s. Apart from his research, Kahl wrote and took photographs about wildlife for various publications including the Journal of Zoology, National Geographic and Behaviour. Some birds that Kahl photographed included the Salvadori's teal and the sunbittern.

Kahl died from a brain tumor on December 4, 2012, in Sedona, Arizona. He was married twice and had two children.