Biology: Ornithology
The course focuses broadly on species identification, methodology and basic ecology about birds. It suits you who plan a research career using birds as study subjects, but also those who want to broaden their biological scope about birds in general.
Start
Spring 2027
Level
Master's
Language
English
Place of study
Lund
Course code
BIOR51
The course provides a solid foundation for identifying and studying birds in the field and the hand, delivered by top scientists in their respective fields. You will learn the basic skills about techniques for studying birds in the field (including visual identification and identification on vocalizations), as well as theoretical moments about bird morphology, physiology and ecological adaptations. More specifically, the field studies involve learning how to catch and ring birds (using mist nests, examination of species, age and sex in the hand), how to perform line transects and territory mapping, as well as performing studied of nest-box breeding birds (where the course follow two nest-box population throughout the breeding season).
We also devote two days to longer excursion to different habitats around Scania. The course is concluded with own projects, where the students apply techniques they have learned during the course for a specific research project. The teaching is in the form of excursions, lectures, group exercises and an own project.
Course syllabus
The syllabus contains the formal and legal details of the entire course. It’s a legal document outlining the course structure and requirements, intended mainly for administrative use.
Syllabus (PDF, new tab)Course literature
The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.
Course literature BIOR51 (PDF, New tab)You will learn modern techniques and concepts in bird ecology, physiology and conservation. Through a combination of lectures, seminars and exercises we cover most aspects of biology. We use an exhaustive textbook, which is complemented by lectures by scientists conducting research the research front, working at the Biology department at Lund University.
You will become familiar with the most common birds breeding in Scandinavia. A project (in groups of 2-3 persons) is performed at the end of the course during 2-3 weeks. In this project a suitable field (or occasionally lab) based project is carried out, when data is collected, analyzed and written up as a report. The projects are also presented orally during a concluding conference.
Entry requirements
90 ECTS credits Science studies including a course corresponding to BIOC02 Ecology 15 ECTS credits. English 6/English Course B.
Selection criteria
Seats are allocated according to: ECTS (HPAV): 100 %.
Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens
Citizens of countries outside:
- The European Union (EU)
- The European Economic Area (EEA) and
- Switzerland
are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.
Tuition fees, payments and exemptions
Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 46,250
First payment: SEK 46,250
Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.
No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland
There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
A research focused education and lively study environment
At the Department of Biology, students in biology, molecular biology and bioinformatics study together in a shared environment. Here you can learn about everything from genes and molecules to ecosystems and behaviour, closely linked to ongoing research. Teaching takes place in modern laboratories or in the field. All the lecturers are active and internationally recognised researchers. This creates a unique learning experience where studies and research go hand in hand.
