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Charles William Beebe (July 29, 1877 – June 4, 1962), American ornithologist, explorer, and author.

Beebe was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was curator of ornithology for the New York Zoological Society from 1899 to 1952. He was a self-styled "naturalist" and everything living seemed to hold continuing fascination for him.

In 1919 he was also made director of the department of tropical research and in later years he established the New York Zoological Society's Tropical Research Station on a property in one of the last remaining stands of tropical rainforest in Trinidad. It was next to an old cocoa plantation owned by the charming Icelandic woman, Asa Wright, who did so much to make visiting scientists at home. Both these adjoining properies Simla Research Station in the Arima Valley, Trinidad and Tobago were donated to the people of Trinidad and Tobago as nature reserves and now form one of the finest birdwatching sites in the Caribbean.

He wrote many popular books (my potboilers) of his expeditions some of which became best sellers in the 1920s and 1930s. He was also a regular contributor to the National Geographic Magazine. The money from the sale of these books helped finance his later expeditions. He also wrote his magnificent A Monograph of the Pheasants (1918-1922), which remains the classic reference on the subject.

His interest in deep-sea exploration led to the development of the bathysphere, a spherical metal diving vessel. In 1934 he made a record descent of 923m (3028 ft.) with Otis Barton in 1934.

He was still very active well into his late 70s and early 80's observing nesting birds through his giant specially-made binoculars on a tripod from the verandah of his home in Simla, and even climbing high into trees to observe the eggs of a rare Bellbird. He was always a kind and patient teacher and did everything he could to encourage budding naturalists.

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• 1877 births
• 1962 deaths
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