Anton Reichenow
Encyclopedia
Anton Reichenow was a German
ornithologist.
Reichenow was the son-in-law of Jean Cabanis
, and worked at the Humboldt Museum
from 1874 to 1921. He was an expert on Africa
n bird
s, making a collecting expedition to West Africa
in 1872 and 1873, and writing Die Vögel Afrikas (1900-05). He also wrote Die Vögel der Bismarckinseln (1899). He was editor of the Journal für Ornithologie from 1894 to 1921.
A number of birds are named after him, including Reichenow's Woodpecker
and Reichenow's Firefinch
. His son Eduard Reichenow was a famous protozoologist.
Reichenow is known for his classification of birds into six groups, described as "shortwings, swimmers, stiltbirds, skinbills, yoketoes, and treebirds". This system was not adopted by any other ornithologists, but is used in the standard decimal library cataloging system.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
ornithologist.
Reichenow was the son-in-law of Jean Cabanis
Jean Cabanis
Jean Louis Cabanis was a German ornithologist.Cabanis was born in Berlin. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1835 to 1839, and then travelled to North America, returning in 1841 with a large natural history collection. He was assistant and later director of the Berlin University Museum,...
, and worked at the Humboldt Museum
Humboldt Museum
The Museum für Naturkunde, officially the ' or Naturkundemuseum , occasionally known as the Humboldt Museum, is a natural history museum in Berlin, Germany. Usually the museum's name is abbreviated MFN...
from 1874 to 1921. He was an expert on Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, making a collecting expedition to West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
in 1872 and 1873, and writing Die Vögel Afrikas (1900-05). He also wrote Die Vögel der Bismarckinseln (1899). He was editor of the Journal für Ornithologie from 1894 to 1921.
A number of birds are named after him, including Reichenow's Woodpecker
Reichenow's Woodpecker
The Speckle-throated Woodpecker , also known as Reichenow's Woodpecker, is an East African woodpecker often considered a subspecies of Bennett's Woodpecker.-Description:...
and Reichenow's Firefinch
Reichenow's Firefinch
The Chad Firefinch or Reichenow's Firefinch is a small passerine bird belonging to the firefinch genus Lagonosticta in the estrildid finch family Estrildidae. It is restricted to a small area of Central Africa. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of Jameson's Firefinch but is now often...
. His son Eduard Reichenow was a famous protozoologist.
Reichenow is known for his classification of birds into six groups, described as "shortwings, swimmers, stiltbirds, skinbills, yoketoes, and treebirds". This system was not adopted by any other ornithologists, but is used in the standard decimal library cataloging system.