Neotropical ornithology: Reckoning with historical assumptions, removing systemic barriers, and reimagining the future
Authors: Soares Letícia , Cockle Kristina L , Ruelas Inzunza Ernesto , Ibarra José Tomás , Miño Carolina Isabel , Zuluaga Santiago , Bonaccorso Elisa , Ríos-Orjuela Juan Camilo , Montaño-Centellas Flavia A , Freile Juan F , Echeverry-Galvis María A , Bonaparte Eugenia Bianca , Diele-Viegas Luisa Maria , Speziale Karina , Cabrera-Cruz Sergio A , Acevedo-Charry Orlando , Velarde Enriqueta , Cuatianquiz Lima Cecilia , Ojeda Valeria S , Fontana Carla S , Echeverri Alejandra , Lambertucci Sergio A , Macedo Regina H , Esquivel Alberto , Latta Steven C , Ruvalcaba-Ortega Irene , Alves Maria Alice S , Santiago-Alarcon Diego , Bodrati Alejandro , González-García Fernando , Fariña Nestor , Martínez-Gómez Juan Esteban , Ortega-Álvarez Rubén , Núñez Montellano María Gabriela , Ribas Camila C , Bosque Carlos , Di Giacomo Adrián S , Areta Juan I , Emer Carine , Mugica Valdés Lourdes , González Clementina , Rebollo María Emilia , Mangini Giselle , Lara Carlos , Pizarro José Cristóbal , Cueto Victor R , Bolaños-Sittler Pablo Rafael , Ornelas Juan Francisco , Acosta Martín , Cenizo Marcos , Marini Miguel Ângelo , Vázquez-Reyes Leopoldo D , González-Oreja José Antonio , Bugoni Leandro , Quiroga Martin , Ferretti Valentina , Manica Lilian T , Grande Juan M , Rodríguez-Gómez Flor , Diaz Soledad , Büttner Nicole , Mentesana Lucia , Campos-Cerqueira Marconi , López Fernando Gabriel , Guaraldo André C , MacGregor-Fors Ian , Aguiar-Silva Francisca Helena , Miyaki Cristina Y , Ippi Silvina , Mérida Emilse , Kopuchian Cecilia , Cornelius Cintia , Enríquez Paula L , Ocampo-Peñuela Natalia , Renton Katherine , Salazar Jhan C , Sandoval Luis , Correa Sandoval Jorge , Astudillo Pedro X , Davis Ancilleno O , Cantero Nicolás , Ocampo David , Marin Gomez Oscar Humberto , Borges Sérgio Henrique , Cordoba-Cordoba Sergio , Pietrek Alejandro G , de Araújo Carlos B , Fernández Guillermo , de la Cueva Horacio , Guimarães Capurucho João Marcos , Gutiérrez-Ramos Nicole A , Ferreira Ariane , Costa Lílian Mariana , Soldatini Cecilia , Madden Hannah M , Santillán Miguel Angel , Jiménez-Uzcátegui Gustavo , Jordan Emilio A , Freitas Guilherme Henrique Silva , Pulgarin-R Paulo C , Almazán-Núñez Roberto Carlos , Altamirano Tomás , Gomez Milka R , Velazquez Myriam C , Irala Rebeca , Gandoy Facundo A , Trigueros Andrea C , Ferreyra Carlos A , Albores-Barajas Yuri Vladimir , Tellkamp Markus , Oliveira Carine Dantas , Weiler Andrea , Arizmendi Ma del Coro , Tossas Adrianne G , Zarza Rebecca , Serra Gabriel , Villegas-Patraca Rafael , Di Sallo Facundo Gabriel , Valentim Cleiton , Noriega Jorge Ignacio , Alayon García Giraldo , de la Peña Martín R , Fraga Rosendo M , Martins Pedro Vitor Ribeiro 
Published: February 2023

A major barrier to advancing ornithology is the systemic exclusion of professionals from the Global South. A recent special feature, Advances in Neotropical Ornithology, and a shortfalls analysis therein, unintentionally followed a long-standing pattern of highlighting individuals, knowledge, and views from the Global North, while largely omitting the perspectives of people based within the Neotropics. Here, we review current strengths and opportunities in the practice of Neotropical ornithology. Further, we discuss problems with assessing the state of Neotropical ornithology through a northern lens, including discovery narratives, incomplete (and biased) understanding of history and advances, and the promotion of agendas that, while currently popular in the north, may not fit the needs and realities of Neotropical research. We argue that future advances in Neotropical ornithology will critically depend on identifying and addressing the systemic barriers that hold back ornithologists who live and work in the Neotropics: unreliable and limited funding, exclusion from international research leadership, restricted dissemination of knowledge (e.g., through language hegemony and citation bias), and logistical barriers. Moving forward, we must examine and acknowledge the colonial roots of our discipline, and explicitly promote anti-colonial agendas for research, training, and conservation. We invite our colleagues within and beyond the Neotropics to join us in creating new models of governance that establish research priorities with vigorous participation of ornithologists and communities within the Neotropical region. To include a diversity of perspectives, we must systemically address discrimination and bias rooted in the socioeconomic class system, anti-Blackness, anti-Brownness, anti-Indigeneity, misogyny, homophobia, tokenism, and ableism. Instead of seeking individual excellence and rewarding top-down leadership, institutions in the North and South can promote collective leadership. In adopting these approaches, we, ornithologists, will join a community of researchers across academia building new paradigms that can reconcile our relationships and transform science. Spanish and Portuguese translations are available in the Supplementary Material.