The Journal für Ornithologie began publication in 1852 under the co-direction of Gustav Hartlaub and Jean Cabanis, marking a shift in the formalization of bird studies. Hartlaub spent his professional life in Bremen, where he balanced a medical career with an extensive commitment to zoology, specifically through the collection and classification of exotic avian specimens.
Academic Foundation and Early Training
Born in 1814 in Bremen, Hartlaub pursued higher education at three distinct institutions: the University of Bonn, Frederick William University in Berlin, and the University of Göttingen. He eventually earned a Doctor of Medicine. His early academic life included membership in the Corps Guestphalia Bonn, establishing the rigorous institutional background typical of nineteenth-century German natural scientists.
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Take the IQ test →Contributions to Ornithology and Taxonomy
Hartlaub began systematically collecting exotic bird specimens in 1840, donating his findings to the Bremen Natural History Museum. His work involved describing numerous species for the first time. He authored significant texts including System der Ornithologie Westafrica's and Die Vogel Ost-Afrikas, the latter appearing within the fourth volume of Baron Carl Claus von Deer Decken's Reisen in Ost-Africa. In 1867, he collaborated with Otto Finsch to produce a volume on the bird fauna of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, which utilized specimens provided by Eduard Heinrich Graeffe for Museum Godeffroy.
Institutional Roles and Professional Memberships
Throughout his life, Hartlaub maintained affiliations with organizations such as the Zoological Society of London, the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the German Ornithologists’ Society, the Bremen Society for Natural Sciences, and the Société cuvierienne. He held chairperson positions from 1878 to 1887 and again from 1883 to 1890. His professional scope encompassed zoogeography and Goetheforschung alongside his primary work in ornithology.
Fast facts
- Born: 1814, Bremen
- Died: 1900, Bremen
- Education: University of Göttingen, University of Bonn, Frederick William University Berlin
- Academic degree: Doctor of Medicine
- Key journal co-founder: Journal für Ornithologie (1852)
- Religion: Lutheranism
- Primary occupations: physician, zoologist, ornithologist
- Named eponyms: Hartlaub's Bustard, Hartlaub's Turaco, Hartlaub's Duck, Hartlaub's Gull
Questions readers ask
What were Gustav Hartlaub's primary areas of scientific research?
His work centered on ornithology, zoogeography, and Goetheforschung.
Which notable publications did Hartlaub author?
His major works include System der Ornithologie Westafrica's and Die Vogel Ost-Afrikas, published in Baron Carl Claus von Deer Decken's Reisen in Ost-Africa.
Achievements
- Notable work: Die Vogel Ost-Afrikas. Baron Carl Claus von Deer Decken's Reisen in Ost-Africa. Bd. 4
- Notable work: Q51416974
- Notable work: System der Ornithologie Westafrica's
- Educated at Frederick William University Berlin, University of Bonn and University of Göttingen
- Fields of research: Goetheforschung, ornithology and zoogeography
