David H. Ellis grew up in eagle country in the Rocky Mountain West and was fascinated by golden eagles from early childhood. His PhD dissertation is the monograph on golden eagle behavior. He has lived in 16 US states and has visited all of them, as well as more than 50 nations, generally in pursuit of bird (mostly raptor) research. These travels involved work with harpy eagles in Central and South America, bald and golden eagles in Alaska and Canada, and golden eagles in the US, Japan, Siberia, and, most of all, Mongolia. His falcon research focused on pallid falcons in Patagonia, saker falcons in Mongolia, and peregrine populations in Arizona. His publications exceed 200 articles, chapters, or books, and include three volumes on crane research.

Reviewed in the Belgian journal L'Ornithologue, January 2002.