William Rowan FRSC (1891–1957), was a Canadian biologist and ornithologist best known as a founder of photobiology for establishing the link between the length of daylight and bird migration.
[1] In 1993, Marianne Gosztonyi Ainley wrote Restless Energy: A Biography of William Rowan, 1891–1957 detailing his life.
In 1908, he emigrated to Canada and spent three years working as a ranch hand, sketching and photographing wildlife in his spare time,[2] before returning to England and enrolling at University College London.
This work earned Rowan a doctorate from University College London, but a direct link to migration remained to be established: the seasonally disturbed birds appeared ready to fly northwards in spite of the fact that it was still winter; however, it remained to be established where they went after their release.
Their release was accompanied by a radio and press campaign offering rewards for every yellow-tailed crow caught or shot.