As we begin a recurring feature, profiles of state research biologists, we find that the state of Florida has already been profiling their own researchers for quite some time. So why not get the party started early, with this profile of Jim Rodgers, ornithologist.

Jim Rodgers has always wanted to be a wildlife biologist, well, either that or a professional surfer or fishing boat captain. He’s adjusted his career goals only slightly since his mid-teens, switching from marine biology to birds.

Consistency has paid off: Rodgers has studied wood storks and snail kites, two of the continent’s most fascinating bird species. Up next? Gull-billed terns.

Read the entire profile on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website, here.