Birds against the plane. At first glance, their confrontation seems frivolous. What competition can a sparrow make to a mighty multi-ton liner, wrapped in aluminum and plastic, armed with engines of thousands of horsepower? What is one sparrow force to him?
But in reality, everything is quite complicated. For a liner standing on the airfield, a sparrow is not dangerous. But for an airliner picking up speed to take off or to take off, a sparrow is a factor that the pilot cannot ignore. A bird-aircraft collision can be fatal for both. When the liner gained a height of 8-9 km, the pilot can calm down - birds do not fly at such heights.
On a plane flying at a speed of 700 km / h, a bird colliding with it acts three times stronger than a 50-mm cannon projectile with an impact force of 200,000 N. The bullet does not penetrate the windshield of the aircraft, but the bird's body, which met on the way of a high-speed fighter, pierces him. It can pierce the skin of the fuselage and wings or get into the engine. How does all this threaten the aircraft?
The hole in the skin of the fuselage or wings will increase over time, worsening aerodynamics, jamming the rudders and ailerons, destroying the aircraft. Damage to the cockpit windows depressurizes it - at high altitudes this creates a mortal danger for the crew and passengers. In addition, glass fragments can injure the pilot.
Once in the air intake of the engine, the bird's body can deform or even tear off the rotor blades, while the engine will lose power, stall, and a fire may occur in it. Each of these situations can lead to disaster. At best, a bird strike will result in a costly repair.
The nature of the consequences of a collision of an aircraft with a bird depends, first of all, on which part of the aircraft became the target for impact. The likelihood of birds getting into an engine, for example, depends on the type of aircraft. So, for civil aviation aircraft, approximately 40% of the birds that collided with them get into the engines, 33% into the wings, 16% into windshield cockpit, 7% - in the fuselage. For military aircraft, the statistics are different: engine - 55% of collisions, fuselage - 11%, windshield - 10%, wings and rudders - 14%.
The probability of a bird getting into an aircraft in general and into an engine in particular for a single-engine jet fighter flying at low altitudes is higher than for a multi-engine turboprop airliner, the operating altitudes of which (8–10 km) are beyond the limits of bird capabilities. An airliner can only collide with a bird during takeoff or landing. The consequences of collisions for a fighter and a passenger airliner will also be different - the failure of a single engine in the air is tantamount to death, while the failure of one of the many engines leaves a chance for salvation.
Which birds are most likely to encounter aircraft? The table shows the data of the ornithologist W. Jacobi on the general statistics of collisions for different bird species.
Table.
In general, representatives of the order Passerines account for 32.2% of collisions, gulls - 15.9%, diurnal predators and pigeons - about 15%.
In the civil aviation of our country, more than 1.5 thousand bird strikes occur annually. Although this is a negligible percentage of the total volume of traffic, but in absolute terms, there is a significant material damage and, most importantly, people's lives.
The problem of aircraft collisions with birds, the development of biological and technical measures to prevent collisions are dealt with by a special, recently emerging field of science - aviation ornithology. This area received an official right to exist in 1965, when a special symposium was held in Nice on the protection of aircraft from birds. This symposium was convened by the French Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for Agronomic Research. The symposium was attended by representatives of 10 countries, who made more than 70 reports. These were biologists, acousticians, engineers, aviation specialists - the founders and future partners.
The recognition of aeronautical ornithology, the convening of a special symposium was not an accidental or premature event. By this time, aviation had already accumulated some experience, and this experience was very sad.
The first collision of an aircraft with a bird occurred in 1912, when in California, as a result of a seagull hitting the steering, both the aircraft and the pilot were killed. With the advent of turboprop and turbojet engines in the 1950s. the danger of birds to aircraft has increased dramatically. high speeds every year the number of aircraft collisions with birds increased, making the consequences of such collisions more and more severe.
So, in the USA from 1942 to 1946 there were 473 collisions, from 1956 to 1966 - 1566, of which 837 collisions were in 1965 alone. - 738, in Holland from 1960 to 1966 - 413, in Australia in 1963 there were 185 collisions, and in 1964 - 208. In our country in 1963, 40 civil aviation aircraft collided with birds, in 1966 - 101, in 1969 - 221 aircraft.
The volume of material losses also increased. In Canada, for just one airline, it was $1.19 million, the cost of 23 engines damaged by birds. Another airline replaced 75 engines in 2.5 years, and replacing one damaged engine cost $200,000-300,000. On average, Canadian airlines estimate the cost of an annual loss due to birds at $1 million.
In the UK, losses from a collision of an aircraft with birds are estimated by experts at up to 100 thousand pounds. However, these figures characterize only the cost of repairs, i.e. refer to situations that ended relatively well for the crew and passengers, and the aircraft managed to land. If the collision leads to a catastrophe, material losses increase many times over and, most importantly, people die.
In the early 1960s the situation has become so aggravated that the problem of collisions of aircraft with birds has attracted attention public institutions. AT different countries special committees with broad powers began to be created, including representatives of aviation, engineers and ornithologists. In 1962, such a committee was created in Canada, in 1964 - in Germany, in 1966 - in the USA and other countries. There was a need for international cooperation, international coordination.
In 1966, the European Committee came into being, uniting the efforts of 15 countries of Europe and America in the development of measures to protect aircraft from birds. ICAO - the International Civil Aviation Organization - has been actively involved in solving the problem. International cooperation proved to be very fruitful. The first founding meeting of aeronautical ornithologists in Nice in 1963 was followed by several very important consultative meetings and conferences. In 1969, the First International Conference on the Danger of Birds to Aircraft was held in Kingston (Canada), which brought together 250 participants from 19 countries, including the USSR.
Special meetings of ICAO (1966, 1968) were devoted to the problems of protecting aircraft from birds. At the annual meetings of the European Committee and its six working groups, the urgent problems of aviation ornithology, methods of preventing aircraft strikes with birds, the international cooperation in this region.
What has been achieved over the years? What did the combined efforts of scientists and practitioners lead to? First of all, all the situations accompanying the clashes were analyzed. Each case was studied from different points of view - biological and aviation-technical.
The analysis revealed important regularities. It turned out that the number of collisions is unevenly distributed over the seasons: it increases in April–May, reaches peaks in July and September, and then decreases towards November and December. How to explain such unevenness?
Of course, planes fly less often in winter. But it's not only that. Attention is drawn to the distinct coincidence of peaks with the timing of spring and autumn migrations (May, September), on the one hand, the mass appearance of young animals and their summer migrations (July). Due to the fact that during these periods there are much more birds and they lead a very mobile Lifestyle, the probability of their collision with aircraft increases.
It especially increases on the horizontal flight paths, which are crossed by migrating flocks (about 3/4 of all collisions happen here), and in the areas of airfields, where local birds, mostly young and migratory, also concentrate. According to statistics, about a quarter of all collisions occur in aerodrome conditions, i.e. occur with an aircraft taking off or landing.
The study of aerodrome situations is also important because the use of various means to prevent collisions gives a greater effect here than in level flight conditions.
The airfield and its surroundings attract birds for many reasons. The right-of-way that surrounds the airfield and is inaccessible to outside visitors provides the birds with the best conditions for rest, feeding and breeding. Next to this kind of "reserve" - a runway, where there is a lot of food - earthworms, rodents, insects. Garbage dumps, heaps of household waste adjacent to the airfield are another factor that attracts jackdaws, crows, pigeons and other birds. The proximity of water spaces (many large airfields are located near sea coasts and rivers) contributes to the constant visits of gulls, ducks and sandpipers.
For these reasons, a kind of airfield biocenosis with its own specific connections and relationships, with its own ecology, is being created at the aerodrome and its environs.
The bird population of the aerodrome increases sharply during migrations and after the appearance of young ones. During these periods, birds pose a particular danger to aircraft. Not only because there are a lot of birds, but also because among them the majority are inexperienced individuals who are not familiar with airfield conditions and are not afraid of aircraft. The behavior of such birds in relation to the aircraft is difficult to predict.
Analyzing the consequences of aircraft strikes with birds, the engineers came to the conclusion that the severity of their consequences can be significantly reduced by making some changes to the design of the aircraft.
For cabin glazing, it is proposed to use bent oriented organic glass, flat multilayer blocks based on silicate glass, thick (up to 20 mm) polycarbonate plates. The inlet channels of the engines should be protected with nets, the compressor blades should be made of special alloys, and the engine power should be quickly restored in the event of a bird strike. The leading edges of the wing and tail must be reinforced with supporting elements.
Technological ways to protect aircraft from birds are widely used in modern aviation. At special stands, aircraft are tested for "bird resistance", firing at them from air guns with bird carcasses weighing 680 g during engine tests and 1–1.8 kg during glazing tests. An appropriate entry is made in the technical passport of the aircraft. According to international standards, aircraft that have not passed such tests are not allowed to be sold.
Technological ways to protect the aircraft from birds, despite their attractiveness, are still limited. It is impossible to strengthen aircraft structures without making the machine heavier, to protect the engine with nets without depriving it of power, especially since these measures, like all others, do not give a full guarantee of safety.
The search for new ways to prevent severe consequences in the event of aircraft strikes with birds continues. The probability of such collisions, on the one hand, and the severity of their consequences, on the other, are constantly decreasing. As soon as we are talking about people's lives and expensive technology, even small successes are of practical importance.
Nika Ryzhova-Alenicheva
32 years old, aviation ornithologist at Domodedovo Airport
How it started: crow fledgling, hawk chick and hunters
“I have been birding for over 15 years. Although I am an economist by education, I never graduated from the Faculty of Biology. The first bird - the Far Eastern big-billed crow - came to me by accident from Grandfather Durov's Corner. It was bought by one organization for filming, and then did not know where to put it, and gave it to the zoo corner of the school where I studied and worked as a laboratory assistant after classes. The crow was in a terrible state - bald, blue, with crooked lame legs, and even could not fly. I decided to go out, although I did not know how. I did not have the Internet then, but I was able to find people from the Russian Songbird Club. They told how to properly keep a crow and what to cook a mash from - this is such a special porridge for insectivorous birds.
A few months later, the bird shone, overgrown with feathers, in general, began to look pleased. But suddenly the same organization appeared and asked to return the crow - supposedly they gave it to me for a while. The bird managed to become my own, I put my soul into it and understood that after the next shooting it would be returned in the same terrible state. I was very upset then.
My biology teacher, seeing how worried I was, turned to friends. Soon one of them said that an orphaned crow fledgling was brought to the zoo (fledglings are called chicks that have fallen out of nests. - Note. ed.), which must be placed in safe hands. So I got my first personal bird - the raven Till. At first he lived in the school laboratory, then moved to my apartment.
After finishing school, I accidentally ended up in the Moscow region visiting a breeder of birds of prey and an experienced falconer. Having learned about my crow, Peter taught me how to make ammunition, how to properly tie entanglements (special straps on the paws of a bird that perform the same role as a collar with a leash in dogs. - Note. ed.). He also asked why I did not get myself a hawk for hunting. Then I could not even imagine that this was possible, but literally a week later, at the request of Peter, a hawk chick was handed over to me. All summer I tortured Peter with this hawk: for every question - and there were a lot of them - I called, went to see him from Tushino near Noginsk four times a week. Peter was very a good man- not only endured anxiety, but always showed and told everything. He introduced me to other falconers. Seeing that I was a “poor student” who did not always have enough money for travel, they fully provided food for my bird, took us with her to all falconer events.
Already in September, I took part in the falconer competition, where my Till caught a pheasant and received a diploma as the only hunting crow. Then my hawk was not yet ready for such events, but at the beginning of winter he successfully hunted. At hunting competitions, I met many bird experts - not only from Moscow, but also from other cities and countries. There I also met employees of the ornithological department of Domodedovo Airport. About six months later, on their recommendation, I was invited to the airport for an interview.
About working at the airport: mallard ducks and blunt claws
I have been an ornithological flight safety specialist at Domodedovo for eleven years now. My main task is to scare away dangerous birds from the airport. And also to prevent their appearance, to identify and eliminate places of their accumulation. Airborne birds are divided into three groups: small (for example, starlings, swifts, thrushes), medium (such as pigeons and jackdaws) and large sizes (among them - herons, goose, herring gulls).
The ornithological service appeared in Domodedovo in the early 1980s, but birds of prey began to be used only in 2002. Prior to this, only technical means were used: pyrotechnics, bioacoustic installations with recordings of the disturbing cries of birds, starting pistols that scare away bright balls on ponds. These methods are still used, but so far there is no equipment that could completely replace the ornithologist and the hawk. Birds quickly get used to everything and stop being afraid - just not to predators.
By international standards the area of responsibility of ornithologists is 150 meters from the surface of the earth on takeoff and 60 meters on landing. But at 150 meters, hawks cannot scare away birds, and firecrackers rise no higher than 50 meters. You can't close the sky with nets. On the ground, we inspect the territory within a radius of 15 kilometers from the airport: farms, fields, reservoirs, landfills and other places that attract birds.
Ornithologists work twelve hours a day, in shifts - two after two - and only in daytime. The first thing I do when I get to work is look through my office mail and magazines with information about the places where birds gather, their numbers and movements during the previous shift. It is important for me to understand what happened while I was gone. Then, together with colleagues (two or three ornithologists plus a driver work in a shift), we go around the airport in a company car. Bioacoustic installations and propane guns are placed around the entire perimeter, imitating the sound of rifle shots: many birds are afraid of it. We check what condition they are in and, if necessary, change the batteries, propane. If necessary, we apply for equipment repair.
Also, going around the territory, we look at where the accumulations of birds are. Now, because of the beginning of agricultural work, gulls are gathering in the fields. During the hunting seasons there are also many birds, especially partridges and mallard ducks. If we fail to frighten off the birds with technical means - firecrackers or a starting pistol, we take a hunting bird. But usually in the morning this is not necessary, and we go out with the hawk according to the schedule - we inspect the places where partridges, waterfowl and near-water birds most often gather.
Around 1:00 p.m., I set off with a hawk to a potential birding area. All of our hawks are trained and know the territory well. They can either simply drive away the birds by chasing them, or catch them. At the same time, caught birds most often remain alive - our hawks have blunt claws, as they constantly run over reinforcement and concrete surfaces. But this does not mean that you can simply take the prey from them. If the human partner does not share the meat, the hawk sees no reason to stay with him and flies away. After all, nothing holds him, except for the knowledge that for the prey he catches he will receive conveniently cut pieces on the falconer's glove.
If a person does not share meat, the hawk sees no reason to stay with him and flies away. After all, nothing holds him, except for the knowledge that for the prey he catches he will receive conveniently cut pieces of meat.
I always take a butchered quail with me - the airport buys them for patrol birds every month - and offer it to the hawk instead of prey. My bird is already used to it and even knows how many small and large pieces of meat I have with me. If I forget to give her the last one, she will immediately go into hysterics. So hawks can count.
We release the caught birds away from the airport. We send whole flocks of partridges to wildlife sanctuaries, nurseries and hunting grounds for breeding. If partridges are stabbed with claws, we take them for our food.
In addition to scaring away ornithologists, they also inspect birds that have got into planes. They determine their breed, draw up an act and send it to the state inspection. In fact, birds often get into aircraft - in the turbine, fuselage, wing, landing gear and engines. We have dozens of such cases per month. As a rule, this does not cause much harm to the car. And the most common damage is bent engine blades. True, the birds do not survive after such meetings.
It is often asked if a bird of prey can get hit by an aircraft. In principle, this can happen to any bird. But we take into account the schedule of takeoffs and landings and choose the right moment (if necessary, the runway may be closed for the duration of the work). And also we do not release hawks in the immediate vicinity of taxiing, landing or taking off aircraft.
By the way, it is for security reasons that now only hawks work for us - falcons are also excellent at scaring away birds, but they need to climb to a considerable height to hunt. The hawk, on the other hand, attacks from the hand, trying to fly low to blend into the landscape.
About bird employees: stubborn females and a tattered hood
We take goshawks from nurseries. Now there are five of them in the state, two of which are constantly in operation, and three are in reserve. And all females. So it happened by chance. In birds of prey, females are always larger and heavier than males, and therefore look more intimidating. They are also lazy, because they are used to the male bringing prey to them and the chicks. In fact, female hawks know how to hunt, but prefer to take food from males. In extreme cases, in winter starvation, they can even eat a male that has turned up under its paws - cannibalism among hawks is in the order of things. And although females are stubborn, they have a significant plus - the mind.
Each falconer has his own bird, which he trains for a month. Sometimes they don't work. For example, I had a saker falcon with a complex character that did not suit me. It was uncomfortable to work, and I gave him back to the nursery. With the hawk Silva we have been together for five years. Although she has a very bastard and bitchy character - she does not recognize anyone but me. Apparently, she believes that I am the same bird as she is, only without wings, and therefore I must do everything for her. So, when Silva does not find prey and gets tired of waiting for an invitation to dinner, she imperceptibly flies up behind me and beats me on the head with her paws. The hood of my winter jacket has long been torn.
The methods of training and hunting with birds of prey have not changed much since the time of the ancient Egyptians. Judging by the archaeological excavations, the ammunition used to be exactly the same as it is now. Unless they started using other materials. Plus, a radio tracking system has appeared - a special transmitter is hung on the tail or paw of a bird and allows you to track its movements within a radius of about 20 kilometers.
To maintain health bird of prey you need movement, a well-equipped place to live and proper nutrition. In no case should they be given meat from the store. No chicken, beef or pork! The diet should be as close to natural as possible, that is, only rodents and birds are suitable for food - quails, day old chickens, pigeons. We feed quails - one per day for each bird. Diurnal predators have a goiter: they fill it with food and consume it throughout the day.
I can create the appearance that Silva and I have complete understanding. The fact is that I know the natural instincts of birds well and understand what, why and why they do it. Falconers eventually develop the habit of seeing birds earlier - dogs, children, cars, other birds and inadequate people who can pull the tail. So this skill helps a lot when you accustom a hawk to the city and do not cover his eyes with a hood. True, I am so used to monitoring the situation around me that I almost never look into the eyes of the interlocutor. Some are offended. But there's nothing I can do about it. But unlike ordinary people who only notice pigeons and crows on the streets, I can count about a dozen different types of birds on the way from home to the metro. One day, walking along a busy street with my owl, I saw a gray heron in the sky.
All of our hawks live in enclosures, but often we take them home. Especially in the first month of training, so as not to pause in training. Silva despite good training, often spends weekends at my house, where several other birds live: an eagle owl, two house owls and a boreal owl, tropical frogs, a bearded agama, eublefara geckos, a 17-year-old tarantula spider and an ordinary cat. There was a period when eight owls lived in my apartment: I simply collected all the cripples and abandoned chicks. But then a rehabilitation center appeared near St. Petersburg - and I started sending everyone there.
Did you know that owls can sit almost like humans, eating salad, but are easily able to break your arm with their paw? Aviation ornithologist Nika Zubra from Moscow tells about these birds and their neighbors in one of the apartments.
owl mafia and big boss Yeol
Domestic ferrets are no longer a novelty, sometimes crows or jackdaws are found among domestic animals, but rarely owls (although sometimes they are sold in stores even in Belarus). Nika Zubra, or Nika Ryzhova, an aviation ornithologist from Moscow.
She is the owner of a popular blog that is easy to find onyoutube, if you watch videos about animals ( first channel andsecond channel, duplicate, with slightly different content). By the way, the author is very against non-observance of copyright.
Nika Zubra keeps an owl Yol, owls, a goshawk, a gecko and other living creatures at home. She began to seriously study birds, as she herself wrote, she began in 2000, although her education was not at all ornithological - she studied statistics and economics.
Video by Alexander Afonin
"I'm used to monitoring the situation around"
The first bird is a Far Eastern big-billed crow, which came to Nika back in school days. She was given after filming to the school zoo corner bald, lame, unable to fly. Her girl came out with the help of the Club of Songbird Lovers of Russia. Then the bird was taken away, but the story did not end there.
Then there was his own raven, which grew out of a fledgling, acquaintance with a falconer, raising a hawk and participating in competitions. In 2006, the heroine began to work aviation ornithologist at the Moscow Domodedovo airport. Her “work is to scare away gulls, pigeons and other birds along with the hawk Silva” in the vicinity of Domodedovo Airport, writes July 7, 2017 website daily.afisha.ru.
“I’m so used to monitoring the situation around me that I almost never look into the eyes of the interlocutor,” Nika says.
Someone is offended, but this skill is the result of understanding how and when a bird behaves, the habit of noticing everything important before it.
Five Videos to Try: Owl UGU and Hawk Baths
On the firstyoutube-the channel run by Nika Zubr has 170,000 subscribers, and the video has from a couple of thousand to 1.2 million views. We have selected the most viewed:
- Filin Yol is being recorded for film dubbing. The cat Murloc sits below, controls the process.
- Embarrassment of the bird and details about how she manages while alone at home.
- And here - about a small owl scops (Otus scops) and a stabilizer: it does not take its eyes off the cat, even if it is twisted around its own axis. Fits in a light box.
- A goshawk mesmerizes the bath water and gently bathes. They say that the second time she floundered without thinking.
- The tree blossoms if it is watered
Owls are cute, but you don't need to wind them up
“Looking at my videos with the eagle owl Yolka, many people wanted such a cute bird for themselves,” - Nika Zubra writes under one of the shootings and assures: you should not start an owl.
It is difficult to raise a balanced bird, but it is easy to get a disability in the process. For example, the fingers of an owl are almost as thick as those of the hostess, their length is about 6 centimeters, the claws are another 4. The total length is enough, which is enough to clasp the palm of your hand. The design of the joints is such that it is impossible to pull something out by force, they only compress more strongly.
« Yeol and her experience of living among people is, in fact, a unique phenomenon, without embellishment. They write to me from some European countries that ornithologists watch my videos as manuals, studying the behavior of my birds. Because it’s impossible for them, it’s simply forbidden there, ” the author writes. Foreign ornithologists gain knowledge from videos, and Nika Bison at the cost of their own mistakes. Some of them are marked with scars.
On the escaped hawk: "She didn't jump on her hands from the sky"
“I often come across under my posts and publications with demands from completely unfamiliar and incompetent people to “release birds into the wild” says the ornithologist.
Do all birds want this? At least one is not. In the text on birds.vc, Nika tells the story of Silva the hawk themselves. The bird was born wild, but fell into a trap at 4 months. There she was injured, and she was treated for a long time. After 4 years, the bird flew away, and after another 10 days it returned.
“Of course, she didn’t jump on her hands from the sky with cries of joy and tears in her eyes, - Nick writes. The bird was found in the same place where the first time - in the same trap for crows, eating up a slaughtered crow. “I let myself be picked up without any problems, having reached the enclosures by car, like a mature bird, calmly, without trying to break loose and run away.”
Owlets do not need salvation, but houses
We advise you to read a couple more texts. The first is about what it is like to keep an owl, the second is about how the superpowers of little owls and their walks outside the nest are connected. You should not pick up such chicks - most likely, their walks are under the control of cautious adults.
“It’s better to hang houses for owls from baskets, boxes and old buckets, where they will nest, then everything around will be owl and owl”, - Nika advises.
In addition: other channels about animals
For those who did not have enough stories from Nika - another wonderful channel :
“Everything is like animals” is a program about who people are like that. They promise to tell you something about which the BBC and "In the Animal World" were delicately silent. "But someone has to!" - the creators of the channel will present it. The program is filmed in the Atlantic, in Croatia, Kenya and not only, but the authors are from Russia.
There are also ratings that can be found by searching for "youtube channel animals". They advise, for example, this channel about incredible animals, this about helping homeless animals and, of course,
An ornithologist is a biologist who specializes in the study of birds. The profession is so attractive that even the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin tried it on himself - in 2012 he flew along with the West Siberian Cranes in order to teach the Red Book cranes to fly correctly. Such an unusual PR campaign was later condemned by many scientists, and the bird population of this species, as of 2017, almost died out - about 20 individuals remained.
The specialty received attention and other famous person- Ian Fleming, author of Bond. He “stole” the name and surname for his hero from an American ornithologist. Later, the writer met with him and presented a book signed "To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity."
And yet, many ornithologists do not pursue fame. Nikolai Gerasimov, for example, sacrificed 20 years of his life and all his savings to create the impossible - to bring back to life the population of the Aleutian Canada Goose, which had disappeared in Asia. He succeeded. And, say, in Japan, the works of a Russian scientist were highly appreciated, they even issued a medal with his image. But at home, he is known only to a few.
However, such situations occur in any profession. Regardless of whether you want to fly with Red Book cranes or save endangered populations, we suggest talking about the specialty in more detail.
What is an ornithologist? Description of the profession
An ornithologist is a zoologist or biologist who specializes in the study of birds. This profession usually involves the study of wild species and has little to do with agriculture, except when farmers are breeding non-domesticated birds such as ostriches. The specialty is relatively young and rare. At the same time, it is extremely important. Almost 10 thousand species of birds live on the planet, many of them have not yet been studied, some are almost extinct. It is the efforts of ornithologists that make it possible to dive deeper into the world of birds and save the rarest populations from complete extinction.
Amateur ornithology has also become widespread in the countries of the post-Soviet space. In view of low wages specialists in the regions, many cannot afford to become professional ornithologists. Love for birds and the desire to protect them encourages such people to become public figures or amateur ornithologists. They make seasonal expeditions, seek the opening of centers for the rehabilitation of wild birds in their regions, initiate amendments to regulations and regulations.
Many amateurs become bloggers - they administer communities, publish records, photos and videos on popular sites or personal sites.
What does an ornithologist do and what does he study
An ornithologist is first and foremost a scientist. Because the basis of it professional activity make studies based on observations. The work is mainly desk work - short-term seasonal expeditions are replaced by a long-term analysis of the collected information. The specialist studies the species and individual populations of wild birds, explores various aspects of their life in certain areas. The scope of duties largely depends on qualifications (professional or amateur), experience, direction and place of work.
What does an ornithologist do as a scientist:
- Collects information about birds during expeditions, mainly by observation.
- Analyzes the collected data, reveals patterns and trends, determines the features of the anatomical structure, life and reproduction of a certain type of birds.
- Determines the size of the population and the risks of its extinction in the given territory.
- Studying the behavior of birds in certain situations.
- Systematizes data on specific species and discovers new ones, describing their features, traits, habits, behavior.
- Tracks migration, analyzes the survival of birds during migratory cycles.
- Initiates and implements the protection of rare and endangered species.
The specialist can also be active in public activities, initiate the adoption of regulations or decisions on the protection of certain species of birds in the regions, or throughout the country. Many ornithologists implement programs to preserve bird populations, or devote their lives to independent work over their revival.
Unfortunately, the number of state initiatives for the conservation of endangered species of wild birds in Russia remains insufficient. Financing of the industry, according to many scientists, also leaves much to be desired. Therefore, amateur and "individual" ornithology becomes the basis for the protection of Red Book birds.
Where to study as an ornithologist? TOP-5 universities
Over 87% of specialists have higher education, but it is not always specialized.
Many ornithologists are biologists and zoologists who have narrowed their specialty. A specialized education does not play a significant role, but starting a career with an extensive knowledge base is much easier. Therefore, it makes sense to try to enter one of the leading universities in the specialty "ornithology", since the competition is relatively not high. If the universities in your city do not train such specialists, and there is no way to leave, enter biology, zoology and related specialties.
To enter a university for the specialty Zoologist, you will need to take the exam in biology. How to prepare for the exam and pass it for the maximum score -.
TOP-5 universities in Russia that train ornithologists:
- Agrarian University. Timiryazev.
- Moscow State University Lomonosov.
- St. Petersburg State University.
- Kazan Federal University.
- Kuban State University.
At the same time, the profession does not require mandatory obtaining higher education, key indicator in employment is experience, research and scientific work ornithologist.
You can graduate from a secondary specialized educational institution and develop in the chosen direction. There is only one drawback of such a decision - it is extremely difficult to start a career with a secondary education. The probability that you will be able to defend a candidate's or doctoral dissertation in this case also tends to zero. Therefore, it is worth trying to get a higher and, if possible, specialized education. Unless, of course, you want to be an amateur ornithologist.
What personal qualities do you need to have
- intellectual development. You have to carry out complex analytical work, guided by the accumulated knowledge base. It is necessary not only to know a lot, but also to be able to apply knowledge in practice, to strive for continuous professional development.
- Patience. The key method of collecting information for an ornithologist is observation. You have to observe birds for several hours, and sometimes for several days. In this situation, patience is a key quality that does not allow you to lose the attention necessary for the study.
- Good physical fitness. Although most specialists rarely make expeditions, they are a key source of bird information. During each trip you work in the wild - it requires endurance and good physical fitness.
- Attentiveness. You must be prepared for the fact that you will not just contemplate birds, but will try to notice something new in their life, behavior, relationship with relatives and environment. The success of the study largely depends on your attention.
- Love for science and birds. Motivation is important in any job. Ornithologists rarely receive high salaries– many of them even spend own funds for research. The only possible motivation in this case is a sincere love for science and birds.
Where can a specialist work?
- Ornithological stations. Usually they are engaged not only in the study of birds in the region, but also in the rehabilitation of wild birds with their subsequent return to wildlife. These are by no means zoos, not administrators of nature reserves. Employees of ornithological stations simultaneously conduct powerful scientific research and are engaged in the protection of rare and endangered species, sometimes in the restoration of populations that have disappeared in the area. It is important to note that the stations never operate in the interests of hunting clubs and agricultural enterprises.
- Research institutes . Here, the key goal of the employees is to conduct research related to the identification and description of new bird species, to study the characteristics of their habitat in certain areas, and to analyze migration and threats to the population. Often, research institutes develop and oversee the implementation of regional or federal programs for the protection of red book birds. Also, organizations can initiate the process of entering a certain type of birds into the Red Book of Russia.
- Educational institutions . Many ornithologists stay to work at the universities they graduated from. Here career largely due to the conduct of scientific and teaching activities. After graduating from the university, the young specialist seeks to defend his Ph.D., and subsequently his doctoral dissertation. At the same time, he conducts scientific research, develops programs for the protection of endangered bird species, controls the process of their implementation, analyzes the effectiveness, makes adjustments and additions.
Pros and cons of being an ornithologist
It is important to understand that the advantages and disadvantages are relative. For some, the opportunity to watch birds for hours is an obvious plus, but for some it is torture. Someone is not ready to work all his life for 25-30 thousand rubles a month, but for someone this is quite an acceptable amount. Try to take this into account in the process of analysis and selection of specialty.
Key Benefits ornithologist professions:
- Maximum closeness to nature during expeditions;
- Respectable, status specialty;
- Profession significant for science and society;
- A real chance to become the savior of dozens of species of endangered birds;
- Opportunity to make grandiose scientific discoveries.
Flaws ornithologist professions:
- Relatively low wages;
- Difficult, mostly "cabinet" work;
- Often severe hiking conditions during expeditions;
- The need to take responsibility for research;
- Constant struggle with bureaucracy and lack of funding.
If we talk about the lack of funding and the same bureaucracy, then in the near future these problems may be resolved. But it is not necessary to expect that the workflow itself will become simpler, and expeditions will no longer require enormous expenditure of effort. So try weigh up the obvious pros and cons profession before entering.
How much do ornithologists in Russia and abroad earn
The average salary of a specialist with at least 3 years of experience in Russia is 26,000 rubles.
in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Far East the amount is higher - about 35 thousand rubles. But in the regions of the Volga region, many ornithologists are forced to be content with salaries of 21-23 thousand rubles. The size wages depends not only on the achievements and experience of each individual specialist, but also on the place of his work.
So researchers with a doctoral degree, on average, receive 5-7 thousand rubles more than their colleagues working at ornithological stations. Due to low salaries, many specialists combine their main activities with teaching, working as teachers in higher and secondary special educational institutions. If we consider foreign salaries, ornithologists from the USA (an average of 52 thousand dollars a year), Switzerland (51.5 thousand dollars) and Japan (49 thousand dollars) receive the most.
Summary and conclusions
Ornithology is an interesting and complex science. It can be done by a person who sincerely loves birds and wants to make every effort to preserve their populations and conduct the most important scientific research. Ornithologist is extremely important profession. It is interesting in its own way and boring in its own way. And for all its significance, it remains not the highest paid in Russia and the countries of the post-Soviet space.
Maria Kositsyna
Editor of the Info-Profi portal, head of the Student Projects Support Center of Tyumen State University.
