Published April 30, 2026
| Version v1
Journal article
Open
Bird specimens from Montenegro in the Natural History Museum Vienna
Authors/Creators
- 1. Natural History Museum of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
- 2. Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria
Description
The ornithological collection of the Natural History Museum in Vienna (NHMW), established in 1793 at the Hofburg, provides valuable evidence of the early development of ornithological science in Montenegro. Examination of the collections and associated documentation revealed 94 taxa collected in Montenegro, represented by a total of 776 specimens: 206 skins, 11 mounts, 13 osteological specimens and 546 egg specimens. The egg material originates from Dr Othmar Reiser's oological collection and is published here for the first time. Most specimens (43) belong to Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe melanoleuca (Güldenstädt, 1776)), while the majority of collected eggs (159) originate from the Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla brachydactyla (Leisler, 1814)). Particularly significant are specimens of the Eurasian Linnet (Linaria cannabina mediterranea Tschusi, 1903), one of the few holotypes of currently valid taxa described from Montenegro, and a mounted specimen of the Spur-winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) which represents the oldest preserved specimen of Montenegrin avifauna in European museums to date. The NHMW collection also includes specimens of the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) that are now considered as extinct breeding species in Montenegro. Most specimens were collected between 1894 to 1913, during the Austro-Hungarian occupation of the then-province of South Dalmatia. As expected, about 77% of all study skins originate from the Boka Kotorska area. The most prominent collectors were the military officers Ernst Grossmann (123 specimens) and Johann Polatzek (64), while the majority of egg specimens (532) were collected Ludwig Führer.
This paper aims to synthesize evidence on the historical avifauna of Montenegro and to document the contributions of contemporary researchers preserved in archival sources, thereby supporting the continued scientific and museological development of the ornithological collection at the Natural History Museum of Montenegro.
Files
ANHMW_article_170849.pdf
Files
(5.5 MB)
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:50fdb6d6fcee673bdce52c1e46980c87
|
5.1 MB | Preview Download |
|
md5:52edd3ec79dacfe44b212812eaf6085c
|
402.3 kB | Preview Download |
Linked records
Additional details
References
- Alström P, Mild K, Zetterström B (2003) Pipits and wagtails of Europe, Asia and North America. Helm Identification Guides, London, 496 pp.
- Anonymous (1845) Feldegg's Sammlungen in Eger. Wiener Zeitung 65: 485–486.
- Beleites M (2020) Ein antidarwinistischer Ornithologe: Otto Kleinschmidt zum 150. Geburtstag. Vogelwarte 58: 467–477.
- Beretzk P, Keve A, Marián M (1969) Taxonomische Bemerkungen zum Problem der Grünlingspopulation des Karpatenbeckens. Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 20: 50–59.
- Billerman SM, Keeney BK, Rodewald PG, Schulenberg TS [Eds] (2022) Birds of the World. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Brehm CL (1831) Handbuch der Naturgeschichte aller Vögel Deutschlands. Bernh. Friedr. Voigt, Ilmenau, 1009 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.169254
- Bruch CF (1832) Ornithologische Mittheilungen. Isis von Oken 10: 1105–1111.
- Cleere N, Christie DA, Rasmussen PC (2021) Eurasian Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), version 1.1. In: Rasmussen PC (Ed.) Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eurnig1.01
- Copete JL, Christie DA (2021) Reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), version 1.1. In: Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.reebun.01.1
- Degland C-D (1849) Bruant des Roseaux – Emberiza schœniclus. Ornithologie européenne 1: 264. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02260419
- Dickinson EC, Remsen Jr JV (2013) The Howard & Moore complete checklist of birds of the world. Vol. 1, 4th edition. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK, 461 pp. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.39568
- Dickinson EC, Christidis L (2014) The Howard & Moore complete checklist of birds of the world. Vol. 2, 4th edition. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK, 752 pp.
- Dobrev V, Topi M, Arkumarev V, Saravia V (2023) Status and threats for the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Albania. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica Supplement 17: 11–18. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472926982.0197
- Ferlini F (2015) Evoluzione dell'areale riproduttivo della cutrettola "italian" Motacilla flava cinereocapilla. Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia – Research in Ornithology 85(2): 3–18.
- Ferlini F (2016) Evolution of the breeding range of the black-headed yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava feldegg). Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia – Research in Ornithology 86(1): 3–38. https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2016.303
- Finger J (1857) Versammlung am 7. Jänner. Mittheilung. Sitzungsberichte der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 7: 157.
- Finger J (1894) Ein Brief an Tschusi, Millstadt, 14. Dezember 1894. In: Reiser O, Führer L (1896) [details incomplete in source].
- Führer L (1901) Beiträge zur Ornis Montenegros und des angrenzenden Gebietes von Nordalbanien. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 12: 41–79.
- Gill F, Donsker D, Rasmussen P [Eds] (2020) IOC World Bird List v10.1. https://www.worldbirdnames.org
- Gill F, Donsker D, Rasmussen P [Eds] (2025) IOC World Bird List v15.1. https://www.worldbirdnames.org
- Gosler A, Clement P, Garcia E, Christie DA, Kirwan GM (2020) Marsh tit (Poecile palustris), version 1.0. In: Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.martit2.01
- Gropp RE (2018) Specimens, collections, and tools for future biodiversity-related research. BioScience 68(1): 3–4. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix155
- Großmann E (1908a) Über das Nisten der Bartgrasmücke und ihre Spielnester. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 19: 140–142.
- Großmann E (1908b) Zwei für die Bocche di Cattaro neue Vogelarten. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 19: 225–226.
- Großmann E (1908c) Zur fraglichen Art-Identität von Saxicola albicollis und melanoleuca. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 19: 227–228.
- Großmann E (1908d) Es gibt nur eine Art weisslicher Steinschmätzer! Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 19: 229–232.
- Großmann E (1909) Weitere biologische Beobachtungen über den Sommerhabicht (Astur brevipes Sev.) aus der Bocche di Cattaro. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 20: 218–223.
- Großmann E (1910a) Auffällige Abnahme mehrerer freibrütender Kleinvögel nach einer Raupenplage in Dalmatien. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 21: 180–181.
- Großmann E (1910b) Neue noch nicht nachgewiesene Vögel der Bocche di Cattaro. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 21: 181–182.
- Hartert E (1918) Types of birds in the Tring Museum. A. Types in the Brehm Collection. Novitates Zoologicae 25: 4–63. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.7307
- Hedrick BP, Heberling JM, Meineke EK, Turner KG, Grassa CJ, Park DS, Kennedy J, Clarke JA, Cook JA, Blackburn DC, Edwards SV, Davis CC (2020) Digitization and the future of natural history collections. BioScience. 70(3): 243–251. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz163
- Kahari A (2016) Port Milena. Dulcinea 2: 33–35.
- Kollibay PR (1903) Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Vogelwelt Dalmatiens. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 14: 22–45.
- Kollibay PR (1904a) Die Vogelfauna der Bocche di Cattaro. Journal für Ornithologie 52: 80–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02119953
- Kollibay PR (1904b) Die Vogelfauna der Bocche di Cattaro. Journal für Ornithologie 52: 457–506. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02124919
- Kotrošan D, Lelo S (2002) Prilog poznavanju problema funkcije, održavanja i korišćenja ornitoloških kolekcija. Muzeologija 39: 88–94.
- Kralj J, Tutiš V (1996) Samples of birds from Croatia in the ornithological collection of the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Natura Croatica 5(1): 21–51.
- Kralj J, Barišić S, Ciković D, Tutiš V (2017) Colouration and biometry of the black-eared wheatear Oenanthe hispanica from the eastern Adriatic coast. Larus 51: 25–32. https://doi.org/10.21857/y6zolb3eom
- LeCroy M (2005) Type specimens of Birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part 6. Passeriformes: Prunellidae, Turdidae, Orthonychidae, Timaliidae, Paradoxornithidae, Picathartidae, and Polioptilidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 292: 1–127. https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0090(2005)292[0001:tsobit]2.0.co;2
- Lorenz-Liburnau L von (1937) Otmar Reiser. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 86–87: 441–457.
- Lucchini V, Randi E (1998) Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation and phylogeographical structure of rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) populations. Heredity 81: 528–536. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2540.1998.00413.x
- Martinez N, Kirwan GM, Schweizer M (2023) Resolving disputed subspecies distribution limits, and revealing intraspecific intergradation, in the Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus using citizen science and museum data. Journal of Ornithology 164: 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-02007-x
- Matvejev S (1986) Leben und Werk Dr. Otmar Reisers, des Ornithologen der Balkanländer. Egretta 29(1–2): 1–19.
- Matvejev S, Vasić V (1973) Catalogus faunae Jugoslaviae IV/3: Aves. Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Ljubljana, 117 pp.
- Matvejev S, Vasić V (1977) Prve dopune i korekcije za Catalogus faunae Jugoslaviae – Aves. Larus 29–30: 123–136.
- Meyer H (1902) Baumann, Oskar. Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 46: 255.
- Mlíkovský J (2007) Type specimens and type localities of rock nuthatches of the Sitta neumayer species complex (Aves: Sittidae). Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series 176(6): 91–115.
- Mlíkovský J (2016) Birds from European countries in the collections of the National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic. Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series 181(7): 63–71.
- Niethammer G (1966) Briefe C. L. Brehms an C. F. Bruch, 1827–1857. Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 17: 87–134. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13427976
- Pârâu LG, Wink M (2021) Common patterns in the molecular phylogeography of western Palearctic birds: a comprehensive review. Journal of Ornithology 162: 937–959. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-021-01893-x
- Pelzeln A von (1889) Zur Erinnerung an heimgegangene Ornithologen. I. Christoph Freiherr Fellner von Feldegg. Mittheilungen des Ornithologischen Vereins Wien 13: 120–122.
- Raković M (2010) Record of Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin Cercotrichas galactotes on Tivat Salina (Montenegro). Ciconia 19: 194–195.
- Reiser O, Führer L (1896) Materialien zu einer Ornis Balcanica. Vol. IV. Montenegro. Carl Gerold's Sohn, Wien, 149 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.13841
- Reiser O (1908) Vorläufige Bemerkung betreffs der Eier der Saxicola albicollis und melanoleuca. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 19: 228–229.
- Reiser O (1910) Über die schwarz-weißen Steinschmätzer der Balkanhalbinsel. Verhandlungen des V. Ornithologenkongresses, Berlin, 1910: 546–548.
- Reiser O (1925) Die Vögel von Marburg an der Drau. Mitteilungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins für Steiermark 61(1): 1–143.
- Roháček F (1917) Übersicht über die Brutvögel der Bocche di Cattaro. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 28: 116–129.
- Roselaar CS (2003) An inventory of major European bird collections. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 123A: 253–337. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16485176
- Rubinić B, Sackl P, Gramatikov M (2019) Conserving wild birds in Montenegro: The first inventory of potential Special Protection Areas in Montenegro. AAM Consulting, Budapest, XIII + 328 pp.
- Ruiz-Gartzia I, Lizano E, Marques-Bonet T, Kelley JL (2022) Recovering the genomes hidden in museum wet collections. Molecular Ecology Resources 22(6): 2127–2129. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13631
- Salvador RB, Cunha CM (2020) Natural history collections and the future legacy of ecological research. Oecologia 192: 641–644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04620-0
- Saveljić D, Jovićević M (2015) Popis ptica Crne Gore sa bibliografijom. Centar za zaštitu i proučavanje ptica, Podgorica, 74 pp.
- Schifter H, van den Elzen R (1986) Die Typen der von Guido Schiebel beschriebenen und der nach ihm benannten Vögel. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien 88–89B: 25–35.
- Schmitt CJ, Cook JA, Zamudio KR, Edwards SV (2018) Museum specimens of terrestrial vertebrates are sensitive indicators of environmental change in the Anthropocene. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 374(1763): 20170387. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0387
- Schweizer M, Warmuth V, Kakhi NA, Alibadian M (2018) Parallel plumage color evolution and introgressive hybridization in wheatears. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 32(1): 100–110. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13401
- Shirihai H, Svensson L (2018a) Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds. Vol. I: Passerines – Larks to Warblers. Helm Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 648 pp.
- Shirihai H, Svensson L (2018b) Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds. Vol. II: Passerines – Flycatchers to Buntings. Helm Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 623 pp.
- Smole J (2010) Otmar Reiser, ornitolog. Svet ptic 16(2): 28–30.
- Steinbacher J (1980) Ein deutscher Naturforscher in Argentinien. Die Gefiederte Welt 104: 175–177.
- Stumberger B, Ritter M (2019) Der "Adria-Fahlsegler" Apus pallidus illyricus: Wie Europas Festlandendemit entdeckt und vergessen wurde. Der Ornithologische Beobachter 116(1): 11–40.
- Svensson L (2020) Olive-tree warbler (Hippolais olivetorum), version 1.0. In: Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.oltwar1.01
- Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen V Ritter von (1901) Neue Formen von Madeira. Ornithologische Monatsberichte 9: 129–131.
- Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen V Ritter von, Kollibay PR, Floericke C (1903) Eine ornithologische Fälschung. Beilage zum Ornithologischen Jahrbuch 14(1–2): 1–4.
- Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen V Ritter von (1905) Über palaearktische Formen. IX. Über die Alpenflühevögel (Accentoridae). Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 16: 127–140.
- Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen V Ritter von (1907) Über palaearktische Formen. XIII. Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 18: 27–30.
- van der Mije SD, Kamminga P, Dekker RWRJ (2023) Type specimens of non-passerines in Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Animalia, Aves). ZooKeys 1155: 1–311. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1155.98097
- Vasić V (1980) Ljudevit Firer – nepriznati utemeljivač ornitologije u Crnoj Gori. Ludwig Fuehrer – Unrecognized Founder of Montenegro Ornithology. Larus 31–32: 421–425.
- Vasić V (1990) Ptice iz Crne Gore u Britanskom muzeju. Glasnik Republičkog zavoda za zaštitu prirode – Prirodnjačkog muzeja Titograda 23: 51–74.
- Vasić V (1995) Biodiverzitet ptica Jugoslavije sa pregledom vrsta od međunarodnog značaja. In: Blaženčić J, Stevanović V, Vasić V (Eds) Biodiverzitet Jugoslavije sa pregledom vrsta od međunarodnog značaja. Ecolibri & Biološki fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, Beograd, 417–515.
- Vizi O, Vasić V (1980) Istorijat ornitoloških istraživanja Crne Gore sa bibliografijom. Glasnik Republičkog zavoda za zaštitu prirode – Prirodnjačkog muzeja Titograda 13: 33–55.
- Vizi O (1981) Ornithology of Lake Skadar. In: Karaman G, Beeton A (Eds) The Biota and Limnology of Lake Skadar. Univerzitet Veljko Vlahović Titograd & Smithsonian Institution Washington, 391–413.
- Vrezec A, Kačar U (2016) Birds from the Central and Eastern Balkan Peninsula in the collection of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History (Ljubljana, Slovenia). Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja (Prirodne nauke) 36: 7–20.
- Vujović A (2012) The third record of rufous-tailed scrub-robin Erythropygia galactotes (Temminck, 1820) in Montenegro. Natura Montenegrina 11(3): 585–587.
- Wandeler P, Hoeck PEA, Keller LF (2007) Back to the future: museum specimens in population genetics. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 22(12): 634–642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2007.08.017
- Yeates DK, Zwick A, Mikheyev AS (2016) Museums are biobanks: unlocking the genetic potential of the three billion specimens in the world's biological collections. Current Opinion in Insect Science 18: 83–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2016.09.009