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History
The ornithological collection spans two centuries of ornithological research and collecting. Alexander Koenig, the founder and director of the museum, began collecting birds in the 1870s. His bird collection, in particular the collection of bird eggs, became the nucleus of today's Museum Koenig. As an enthusiastic collector, Alexander Koenig (1858-1940) invested both his fortune and his personal commitment in expanding the bird collection and growing the museum as a research institution. Since then, there have been extensive phases of growth through the acquisition of large private collections. The exchange of specimens and personal collecting contributed to both the multiplication of the collection and the expansion of specimen series.
Collection
The majority of the ornithological collection consists of dry preserved specimens. It currently comprises around 76,000 bellows, 9,000 mounted birds, 8,000 skeletons, 14,000 feather bows and Germany's largest egg collection with around 85,000 eggs. A further 1,700 bird nests and several hundred specimens in alcohol are also part of the collection. Referenced partial samples of organ or tissue material are stored in the museum's biobank. The type specimens in the ornithological collection represent 322 scientific bird names. The geographical focus of the collection is on the Palaearctic, the Afrotropics and the Neotropics. Taxonomically, finches (Fringillidae), weavers (Ploceidae) and hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are very well represented. Of considerable scientific importance are local series (bellows, feathers, eggs), which represent informative cross-sections of the variation in characteristics of bird populations at a particular place at a particular time. With the help of modern methods of analysis, these series enable comparative studies with present-day populations at the same location. The ongoing digitisation of the collection also facilitates the physical and digital retrieval of specimens and their accompanying documentation.
Research
The Ornithology Section is currently focussing on collection-based research in the fields of systematics, taxonomy, phylogenetics and zoogeography of birds using combined comparative methods (molecular genetics, morphology, ecology). However, our research is not limited to the museum's collection. It also includes field work focussing on the Horn of Africa, which complements the museum's existing research and collecting tradition in Afrotropical ornithology. The focus of these studies is on endemic bird populations with limited or isolated distributions. Such research can only be carried out in close cooperation with regional partners, from universities to non-governmental organisations.
Related collections
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Contact person
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- Deputy Head of Department Vertebrata
- Head of Section Ornithology
Phone: +49 228 9122 246
E-Mail: t.toepfer@leibniz-lib.de
Projects
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Brain structure and activity patterns of birds
Management: Dr. Till Töpfer
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Provenance research at the Museum Koenig
Management: Dr. André Koch
Publications
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2025/09
A high-quality reference genome for the Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) enables investigations of cell cultures as a genomic resource for endangered species
Gigascience
2025/07
Evaluating the impact of climate change on mountaintop endemic bird species in the Ethiopian highlands: insights from moorland francolin (Scleroptila psilolaema)
Ornithology Research, 1, 33
2025/05
Type genomics: a Framework for integrating Genomic Data into Biodiversity and Taxonomic research
Systematic Biology
2024/09
Museomics help resolving the phylogeny of snowfinches (Aves, Passeridae, Montifringilla and allies)
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 198
2024/08
Exkursion in den Kaukasus: Der CaBOL BioBlitz 2022 in Armenien und Georgien
2024/08
Nesting behavior, egg morphology, and breeding biology of Harwood’s Spurfowl (Pternistis harwoodi) in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia
Journal of Field Ornithology, 3, 95
2023/12
A consolidated checklist and new avifaunal records for southern Tigray, Ethiopia
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club, 4, 143
2023/04
A Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus from an Uyghur well in Karabalgasun (Ordu-Baliq), Central Mongolia
Journal of Global Archaeology, 6, 2023
2025
2024
2023
Employees
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Dr. Till Töpfer
ztm Ornithology Bonn ScientistPhone: +49 228 9122 246
E-mail: t.toepfer@leibniz-lib.de