Well we are half way into February so I thought I should kick off our monthly topic -The Evolution of Ornithology- with some discussion of how things evolved in Europe, arguably the birthplace of modern ornithology. First to resources- well-known ornithologist Tim Birkhead is a lecturer at Sheffield University and has published a recent, and highly acclaimed book entitled "The Wisdom of Birds". Here it is:
If you don't have time to look at these, here are a few highlights. The history of "modern" ornithology in Europe dates from about 1500. Science was slow to take a foothold though, and at that time, and for a long time after, bird folklore dominated. For example, no one believed that birds could migrate long distances but clearly many disappeared in the winter. It was commonly thought for example that swallows hibernated in the mud at the bottom of ponds! People started learning about birds (and the science of ornithology was born) by keeping them in captivity for their bright plumage, but mainly for their song. They found that some species could be taught to sing songs whistled by their owners over a long training period. Trained birds were sold for large sums of money and provided entertainment in the house. All this evolved into the huge science of bird song, the role of learning versus instinct, and even to insight into cures for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's. Migration, not hibernation was eventually proved by the latter-day equivalent of bird banding- a German tied coloured threads to the legs of birds.
In England, ornithology was initially brought from folklore to science by the famous naturalist John Ray and later of course by Charles Darwin. Birds played a central role in the development of the theory of evolution by Darwin and many other scientists who followed to the present day. Indeed, biology itself would not be where it is today without the insight provided by studying birds. Most birds are active during the day, are brightly coloured, easy to see and observe, and readily adapt to captivity. This makes them ideal study subjects, and ideal photographic subjects too!
Ornithology has developed quite differently in different parts of the world and it would be very interesting to look at how this has happened elsewhere.
Last edited by John Chardine; 02-13-2011 at 08:50 AM.