Welcome to Ornithology, a subreddit dedicated to the scientific study of wild birds. This is a place to discuss wild birds in a scientific context — their biology, ecology, evolution, behavior, and more.
I want to be an ornithologist when I'm older but I have no clue how to start searching on Google for colleges and careers and such, so I figured I'd ask real people instead. Sorry if this is stupid, I just generally have no idea where to begin in something like this and I'm nervous to ask people I know in real life. Generally, I just want to know what sort of colleges and careers are good for studying and specializing in ornithology, or even if maybe it would be better not to specialize and go for something wider like environmental science or wildlife biology, or something different entirely you just want to say. Thank you so much to anyone who responds! :) Also, I wasn't entirely sure if this is the sort of sub I should ask this on (I made a reddit account for this specifically), so if you think I should post this somewhere else let me know.
Cornell university in New York
Thanks! I've actually been looking into Cornell University lately!
Not an ornithologist but I happen to help people with careers etc.
Ornithology doesn't have a conventional career pathway in the sense of being able to study an ornithology degree and then being considered an ornithologist, or there being an "ornithology school" that you have to attend or anything of the sort. Rather, you build up relevant experience/skills and then apply for ornithology related jobs.
A degree in environmental or wildlife science or zoology would be a good idea as it would provide you with a well-rounded background and open you up to more opportunities. With that you can go into academia/research if you find yourself interested in that, or pursue relevant internships and set yourself up for an ornithology related job. There's no set pathway to pursue.
Web pages you might useful:
https://www.flockingaround.com/post/so-you-want-to-be-an-ornithologist
https://ornithology.com/careers/
Hope I could be of use and best of luck
thank you! :)
Biology and maths. Hell, if you want to get ahead of the curve, learn programming as well. Lots of biology requires you to use R (the stats program) so getting ahead of the game would probably help. But basically the start would be a degree in biology and a good grasp of maths and statistics because you won’t get far without that
thx for the help :D
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what kind of ornithology research and how’d you find it?
A good place to start is your local library! Ask for some tips and then try to visit a zoo and ask them some questions. People love to help curious minds and there are SO many possibilities. Contacting a department of natural resources is also good because they have wildlife agents and studies that always need support and help from the public.
Backyard Bird count and banding groups a good group to connect with as well, to start doing some work and building relationships. Google those for your area!
thank you for responding it means a lot :)
Where do you live?
southeast michigan in the US
Just call the university there and talk to someone in the department, they might let you come audit the class for a few days.
https://seas.umich.edu/academics/courses/ornithology
tysm! I'll look into it