Hans Christian Cornelius Mortensen

Hans Christian Cornelius Mortensen

Hans Christian Cornelius Mortensen (born August 27, 1856 in Jonstrup, † June 7, 1921 in Viborg ) was a Danish teacher, to whom today's method of bird ringing goes back.

Hans Chr. C. Mortensen was born in Jonstrup on Zealand . After graduating from high school in 1874, he first studied theology and then medicine and natural science subjects at Copenhagen University , but without ever completing a degree. Nevertheless, in 1888 he got a job as a teacher at the Latin School in Viborg and here he stayed - from 1909 as a senior teacher - until his death.

Ornithologists tried to scientifically decipher bird migration towards the end of the 19th century. Attempts were first made through working groups to collect all observations on bird migration. This soon turned out to be a mistake, which did not yield any more precise findings. In 1899, Hans Christian Cornelius Mortensen was the first to put aluminum rings on captured birds, which were given a consecutive number and an address to which feedback should be given when the bird was found again. After Mortensen had actually received reports of recovered birds, this procedure was quickly adapted across Europe. Ringing of adult birds and nestlings was first started in 1900 at the ornithological station in Rossitten on the Curonian Spit . As early as 1909, this procedure was used in Great Britain as well as by the ornithological station on Heligoland .

The method established by Mortensen is still used today and provides valuable information about the migratory behavior of bird species.

source

• Povl Engelstoft, Svend Dahl (Ed.): Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. Volume 16. Schultz, Copenhagen, 2nd edition, 1939.
• Peter Kuhlemann : Nesthocker - Weltwanderer: A book of lonely islands, migrating birds and flight and travel over land and sea. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin, 1952, DNB 452635012 , p. 18.