The role of the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the development of the ornithology in Bulgaria

The newly released publication, “One Hundred and Thirty-Five Years of Ornithology in Bulgaria: The Role of the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the Development of Ornithology in Bulgaria—Representatives, Collections, and Achievements” by Prof. Zlatozar Boev, presents for the first time the origin, development, and problems of the first ornithological collections in Bulgaria and their researchers. With the establishment of the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, ornithological research in the country practically commenced. For the first time, an attempt has been made to present chronologically and systematically the development of ornithological research in this oldest natural science institution on the Balkan Peninsula, from its foundation in the last decades of the 19th century to the present day. This 135-year period (1889—2024) includes the work of 12 curators of ornithological collections, for each of whom their major contributions and most significant ornithological publications are presented. Two of these curators were actually the heads of the Bulgarian state—the kings Ferdinand I and Boris III. This is a unique phenomenon, both in science and in the history of government. With this, Bulgaria is the only country in the world whose two monarchs were ornithologists! Their qualities and contributions as curators-ornithologists and naturalists are emphasised. The importance of the large receipts of exotic ornithological collections of Amedée Alléon, Emil Holub, Stuart Baker, the collections of Pavel Patev, Zlatozar Boev, and others are shown. The faunistic contributions of Pavel Patev, Nikolay Boev, and Stefan Donchev in the study of the Bulgarian avifauna are highlighted. The importance of the ornithological collections in the museum for the development of the various directions in the study of the bird world in the country is outlined.

As of 2024, its ornithological collections number over 19,200 units of fossil and subfossil birds, over 4,000 units in the osteological collection, over 4,300 units of mounted total dry preparations, 11,300 stuffed skins, 44 alcohol-formalin preparations, 150 nests, and 420 eggs. Based on materials from Bulgaria, 42 taxa of birds new to science have been described so far. Ornithological research in the countries of the Balkan Peninsula during the last century was developed mostly in Bulgaria and especially in the National Museum of Natural History. The ornithologists who worked in this museum were also some of the most qualified Bulgarian zoologists. Some are among the most famous and notable naturalists in Bulgaria. The past 135 years prove that such scientists can be built and developed only in solid scientific institutions, such as the National Natural History Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was and is currently.

Publication is available at: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/16/5/284.