bio660 - Advanced Ornithology

MM 7 Fundamentals of Ornithology

++ deepened biological expertise
++ deepened knowledge of biological working methods
++ data analysis skills
+ interdisciplinary thinking
+ critical and analytical thinking
++ independent searching and knowledge of scientific literature
++ data presentation and discussion in German and English (written and spoken)
+ teamwork
+ project and time management
+ statistics & scientific programming

The aim of the module is to consolidate various aspects of ornithology as well as to impart up-to-date methods applied in ornithological research.

The module is comprised of three required elective courses (7.5 CP each), two of which have to be chosen.
Required elective course 1: Laboratory course and seminar "Ecology of Colonial Seabirds" (7.5 CP).
Observations and investigations of the common tern colony “Banter See” in Wilhelmshaven within the scope of a long-term study performed by the Institute of Avian Research. Students register behaviour independently, learn modern methods of automatically registering birds, their patterns of activity ranges and body masses, observe feeding in dependence on environmental factors and learn to understand the organization of a bird colony. Finally, the registered data are analysed statistically. The course aims at an extended knowledge about the composition, organization, and function of a bird colony, about courtship behaviour, the synchronization of pair partners, regulation of behaviour by timers, time budgets, individuality and territoriality, selection of food and feeding strategies as well as about the importance of courtship feeding for reproduction. In the accompanying seminar, original publications are presented and discussed, in which the methods imparted in the laboratory course are applied to ecological studies of birds and yield results.
Required elective course 2: Laboratory course and seminar “Communication in Birds” (7.5 CP).
Students will analyse bird songs applying sonagraphic and statistical methods. For example, sounds are to be classified or a sound repertoire of individuals or populations is to be determined. Additional behavioural observations can be assessed in combination with sound analyses. In the accompanying seminar, fundamentals of acoustical communication in birds are studied using a standard publication on bird songs.
Required elective course 3: Laboratory course and seminar “Nutritional Physiology of Birds” (7.5 CP).
The basic questions and methods of feeding in birds are treated in independent laboratory experiments and field studies. Laboratory studies are performed with songbirds, field studies are predominantly performed with geese and shore birds. Laboratory course and seminar focus on aspects of metabolic physiology such as respirometry, food selection putting emphasis on the role of nutrients and secondary plant substances and their interactions as well as on aspects of the feeding strategy of geese in their natural environment. The seminar serves to extend the subject with the aid of recent publications.

same as MM 7:
Bairlein F (1996) Ökologie der Vögel. G. Fischer, Stuttgart.
Bezzel E, Prinzinger R (1990) Ornithologie. Ulmer, Stuttgart.
Brooke M, Birkhead T (1991) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Ornithology. Cambridge UP, Cambridge.
Farner DS, King JR (eds., 1971-1993). Avian Biology. Vol. I-IX. Academic Press, New York.
Gill FB (1990) Ornithology. Freeman, New York.
Podulka S, Rohrbaugh RW, Bonney R (2004) Handbook of Bird Biology. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca.
additionally for required elective course 2: Catchpole CK, Slater PJB (2008) Bird Song: Biological Themes and Variations, Cambridge University Press

2 Protocol(s) (25 % each)
2 Presentation(s) (25 % each)
Regular active participation is required for the module to be passed.