I am a 13-year old girl studying in class VII. I am interested in working with birds. What are the courses that I can do?

Posted by Keshav Jain on



It is heartening to learn a student of your age is so focused at this age. Ornithology (study of birds) is more or less ignored in India. There’s hardly any institute that comes to mind when one talks of ornithology is the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology at Anaikatty, 24 kms from Coimbatore. The institute is named after the legendary Salim Ali who did a scientific study of birds and published a number of books. SACON has maintained a natural habitat in its 55 acres of land. Besides, there is a laboratory, library and a hostel for housing a few students.



But then, study of birds can be pursued even in your capacity as an ecologist, wildlife biologist or as an expert in forest management. As it is, even if you are focused on study of birds, you will first have to do a graduation in a life sciences subject, preferably zoology. But there are a number of foreign universities offering this course, albeit at the post-graduate level. A detailed list of institutes offering ornithology is available in the following URL:



http://www.ummz.1sa.umich.edu/birds/Gradwinweb.html



in fact, there is a website devoted exclusively to ornithology: www.ornithology.com and you can find out more about the relevant institutes worldwide on that site.



 



Picture Credit : Google