What is an ornithologist? Who is an ornithologist, what does he do, what are his responsibilities? What are ornithologists?

An ornithologist is a specialist in the field of zoology who studies birds: their embryology, physiology, geographical distribution, etc.

Wage

20,000–30,000 rub. (trud.com)

Place of work

Ornithologists work in conservation societies, universities and research institutes, zoos and agricultural enterprises.

Responsibilities

More than 9,800 species of birds live on our planet, if we count only known and described species. An ornithologist studies this diversity of birds. He studies individual species in detail and describes various aspects of their life.

The tasks of an ornithologist include: observation, systematization, study of the lifestyle, nutrition and social behavior of various species of birds. Another aspect of an ornithologist’s activity may be the protection of rare species.

Observation is the main type of study, which is most often carried out using special optics. The birds are observed, their singing is listened to, and the data obtained is then recorded and analyzed.

Bird ringing is used to track migration and distribution areas. A small ring with an individual number is put on the animal’s paw. It does not bring any time to a living creature, but it provides the ornithologist with a large amount of data for study and analysis.

Undoubtedly, the work of an ornithologist must be present. Ornithologist - who is this? What does he do? What does the science of ornithology study? We will definitely find answers to all these questions.

What kind of science is ornithology?

Ornithology is one of the branches of zoology that studies birds. The object of study of this science is the physiology of birds, their morphology, taxonomy and their distribution across territories. In simple terms, ornithology is the science of birds.

The first ornithological research was carried out in the fourth century. The founder of the study of birds is considered to be the ancient Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle. It was in his works that the anatomical structure of birds and their simplest classification were first described.

The activities of ornithologists are very diverse. Research into this science includes:

• counting quantitative indicators of bird populations;
• determination of their varieties based on physiological characteristics;
• drawing up classifications (systematics);
• studying the geography of settlements of different species of birds;
• determination of migratory routes of migratory birds;
• organizing work to protect rare and endangered bird species and increase their populations.

Ornithologist - who is this?

As we were able to notice, ornithology is a natural science that is entirely based on communication with nature. From the definition it is not difficult to guess that an ornithologist studies birds.

The work of an ornithologist involves constant observation. People in this profession study birds in their different habitats. These can be natural conditions - forests, meadows, groves, where birds live in close proximity to nature. Ornithological research also concerns birds that have adapted to life in large cities, where they are forced to change their natural habits in order to exist in symbiosis with humans and the products of their vital activity.

The results of the ornithologist's work allow us to learn more about the nature around us, to see how amazing and diverse the fauna of the Earth is. The research carried out should give us new knowledge, surprise us, and also motivate us to preserve and protect life on our planet.

Among the workers of this science there is also an ornithologist. It's not hard to guess who it is. This is a specialist who treats birds - both birds living in the wild and those kept at home.

What qualities should people in this profession have?

In ornithology, as in any profession, you need to have certain personal qualities that help you achieve high results. A good ornithologist - who is it, what qualities does he have? This:

• innate observation;
• attentiveness;
• perseverance;
• ability to concentrate on details;
• ability to analyze.

Perhaps the most important quality that should be present in any ornithologist is especially towards birds. Only a person who is sincerely interested in the life of birds will enjoy the research, make the right conclusions, and maybe even make new scientific discoveries.

The profession of ornithologist is one of the specific ones. You cannot be a good ornithologist and not love your job at the same time. Only those who are confident in their choice of profession and are ready to completely devote their life to the study of birds will definitely achieve success in ornithology.

Where do ornithologists work?

Ornithology workers can find work in such institutions as:

At a time when there is underfunding in the scientific field, ornithologists sometimes find it difficult to find work in their specialty, and they are forced to work in related industries.

Why is James Bond here?

James Bond is a famous ornithologist from Philadelphia. He studied Caribbean fauna and his book Birds of the West Indies was published in 1936. The scientific works he published became fundamental in the field of ornithology.

It is no coincidence that the popular superspy, the hero of twenty-five films, bears the same name. The author of spy detective stories studied birds and, choosing a nickname for the main character of his novel, borrowed the name of the author of one of the books on ornithology, thus making him famous.

Public ornithology

It's hard to argue that bird watching is a fun activity. In this regard, the concept of amateur ornithology arises. This accessible, exciting activity has been chosen as a hobby by many natural science enthusiasts.

It's easy to watch birds simply from your apartment window using binoculars. You can see even more by going for a walk in the city park. Sometimes ornithology enthusiasts organize joint trips out of town to observe birds. Cameras and video cameras are used to record the results of such artisanal research.

The science called ornithology is a branch of vertebrate zoology that studies birds. As well as their embryology, morphology, physiology, ecology, systematics and geographical distribution.

This, perhaps, will be enough to describe what an ornithologist actually does.

But, if you look deeper, ornithology is not such an uninteresting profession.

Take, for example, when an ornithologist rings a bird and meets it after a certain number of days, months, or even years.

Ornithologists can also be called personal “architects of birds”, because basically they design feeders for them, leave reserves of lard for tits and save “condemned” birds from death.

As for the career ladder, it will be very difficult to achieve any success in this science. Of course, unless, as in any other science, a person is very dedicated to his work. Therefore, only those who are completely confident in their own choice should connect their lives with this profession. To engage in this profession professionally, you must have a higher education in biology.

Profession ornithologist - salary

As a rule, this question is difficult to answer; salaries depend on various types of grants and degrees. Researchers cannot boast of high salaries; their wages are about 400-700 dollars per month.

Where does an ornithologist work?

• natural conservation societies;
• research institutes;
• universities;
• zoos;
• agricultural enterprises.

See also:

Personal qualities

• attentiveness;
• love to the animals;
• ability to concentrate;
• ability to analyze data;
• observation.

The most famous ornithologist in the world is still Philadelphia-born James Bond. Exactly the one whose name Ian Fleming used to create the most famous English spy.

Finally

Well, the profession of an ornithologist, like any other profession in the field of “Specialists in Natural Sciences,” requires responsibility and is quite complex. But with significant depth and love shown in the matter, success can be very close.

The name of the scientific field - ornithology - speaks for itself. Science studies birds, their habits, their dreams, the influence of the environment on them and their influence on it. It seems that we can end this. We can also add that Aristotle himself first mentioned birds as an object of scientific research two and a half thousand years ago. After that, they were studied, one way or another, by hundreds of prominent scientists. Initially, birds became the object of study for mercantile reasons. Science was driven by falconry. Later during the Enlightenment, the behavior, anthropology, and morphology of birds began to be studied more closely.

Let ornithologists catch sparrows and ostriches, make the necessary measurements and research. If they need to, they can ring the bird. So that, having found it many years later, other ornithologists made their own conclusions, known only to them. Their activities can be briefly described here. And this description will be quite sufficient. But this is only from a distance. If you look deeper, the profession of ornithologist is an extremely interesting thing even for those who are far from naturalism.

This conclusion can be made if there is a personal acquaintance with a “avian scientist.” I had such an honor.

One day, that is, one day, when I was visiting my father in the village, a certain stranger came to him. More precisely, he burst into the house, because his size was immense. A huge bearded man in a well-worn sheepskin coat. He and his father looked at each other for a couple of minutes, and then rushed to meet each other. It turned out that this man was also an Afghan and a colleague of his father’s in Turkmen training. Moreover, he was and is an inveterate ornithologist. I have been suffering from this since childhood, when I made feeders for forest birds, stockpiled lard for tits and rushed to the death to protect chickens prepared for execution. He even devoted his weightlifting and semi-professional boxing classes to ornithology. There is an extremist environmentalist.

After demobilization, he did not go home. They, demobilized Afghans, were transported in a separate carriage, separated from the rest of the passenger cars by several tanks. Such security was justified. Soldiers who fought are hot-tempered people. And when it comes to drunkenness, they’re just beasts. The train traveled first through Kazakhstan, then through Siberia. And somewhere in Transbaikalia, an ornithologist decided to get off. On my own. He jumped out of a moving train. It was winter, the frost was below fifty. But the future scientist was not afraid of anything. He wandered through the taiga for several hours and came to some Evenki village. There he settled with some Evenk or Even. By spring, the hospitable host's wife became pregnant. From an ornithologist. And he had to go into the forest.

In the forest, he came across a very good forest, which stood on the bank of the river and was inaccessible to any fishing equipment. The future scientist began to cut down pine trees and float them several at a time downstream to the nearest village. Only God knows how far he walked until he floated several hundred logs. It is known that he did this from April to August, tirelessly pursuing his goal. The result of the activity was the construction of a house and the purchase of a Zhiguli. After the ornithologist moved into the house and tried to register there, the police came to his house. And he answered for both deforestation and poaching (there were witnesses in the remote taiga). As a result, four years in prison. Two years later he was released under an amnesty.

But most importantly, while doing all these legal and illegal things, the guy constantly studied birds. He observed their habits, kept a diary, and made sketches. As a result, almost a year's life in the taiga turned into a multi-volume study in the field of ornithology. In addition, he discovered one species of newts hitherto unknown to science. And, mind you, the ornithologist did all this with only eight years of education.

After his release, the future scientist graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Applied Zoology and Phytology as an external student, completing the entire course in two years. And two years later he defended his Ph.D. thesis, fully confirming his knowledge in the field of ornithology.