Russian Holidays - Ornithologist Day

Every year on February 19, Russia celebrates the Day of Ornithologists - specialists involved in the study of birds. The term ornithology was first used in the 19th century. And the Italian naturalist Ulysses Aldrovandus contributed to this. Among the pioneers who tried to summarize all the available data about birds is Aristotle, a famous philosopher and thinker from Ancient Greece. A colossal contribution to the development of ornithology was made by such personalities as de Buffon, a naturalist and mathematician from France, as well as Carl Linnaeus, an outstanding Swedish scientist, physician and naturalist. Among Russian figures, it is worth highlighting S. Buturlin (traveler), V. Bianki (famous writer, author of children's stories), N. Gladkov (zoogeographer), P. Serebrovsky (scientist), etc. The history of the holiday dates back to 1983, when the All-Union Ornithological Association at the Academy of Sciences opened. This event occurred on February 19, hence the day of celebration. Today it is celebrated in many countries that were part of the USSR at that time. At a meeting of society members held on February 19, 1983, a proposal was put forward to make this date Ornithologists' Day. In 1992, the association received the name of the famous zoologist M. Menzbir, who is the founder of domestic ornithology. From that time on, its full name began to sound like the Menzbeer Ornithological Society, in short form ROSIP. This organization belongs to the category of voluntary non-profit associations, the main task of which is to preserve wild bird species and their habitats. In addition, on the territory of the Russian Federation there is the Russian Bird Conservation Union, which acts as a public environmental organization. The members of the association are qualified ornithologists and ordinary bird lovers. They call their main task the popularization of the science of ornithology, the study and protection of birds. This holiday date is associated with many other dates dedicated to the world of birds and specialists who study them: Bird Day, celebrated every year on April 1, Migratory Bird Day, celebrated annually on the second Saturday of May and has an international level. On February 19, scientific congresses, environmental educational competitions, all kinds of seminars and large-scale events are held in many cities and towns of the Russian Federation. Russian ornithologists take part in international meetings where they exchange their acquired experience with foreign colleagues. So, for example, in 2018, an all-Russian ornithological meeting was held for the first time in Tver.