Edgar Fraser Stead (22 October 1881 – 7 February 1949) was a New Zealand ornithologist, engineer, horticulturist and marksman.
[2][3] He had inherited enough to not have to pursue a career in engineering and he devoted the rest of his life to ornithology, angling, hunting and sports shooting, as well as to growing and hybridising prize rhododendrons and azaleas on his property.
He became an expert at all these pursuits and acquired an international reputation for his marksmanship, winning competitions at Monte Carlo and elsewhere.
[1] Stead acquired a detailed knowledge of the birds of Canterbury, as well as of New Zealand's offshore islands through many field trips.
His field studies and contributions to natural history and ornithology were recognised in 1948 by his election as a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.