Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr. [a] (October 30, 1907 – December 11, 2001) was an American naturalist, author and filmmaker, president of the Wilson Ornithological Society from 1948 to 1950,[2] a member of the board of directors of the National Audubon Society from 1955 to 1974,[1] and a Life Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union.

[1] Born October 30, 1907, in Belgrade, Maine, Pettingill attended Bowdoin College, where he developed an interest in ornithology.

[1] In 1928, Pettingill enrolled in the University of Michigan, then attended graduate school at Cornell University starting in 1930 – joining the AOU in the same year – where he conducted a PhD dissertation on the American woodcock.

[1] Appointed a delegate to the 12th and 14th International Ornithological Congresses,[1] Pettingill was appointed Director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in 1960, a position he held until his retirement in 1973,[1] and provided footage for four Walt Disney nature films, including the Academy Award-winning The Vanishing Prairie,[1] in addition to making several ornithological films of his own, including works on albatrosses, penguins, and the wildlife of island nations, which often aired as part of Audubon Screen Tours.

[1] Holding three honorary doctorates in science,[1] Pettingill appeared on both The Today Show and To Tell the Truth.