SGBK20003U Ornithology

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Biology - restricted elective
MSc Programme in Biology with a minor subject - restricted elective

Content

The course aims to provide students with a theoretical and systematic knowledge of ornithology as a basis for continued learning about birds. The students will learn about the methods used in ornithological research and thereby obtain the ability to evaluate ornithological studies. Furthermore, they will obtain competences in communicating about scientific ornithological studies. After the course the students will be well qualified to start Master’s Thesis project within ornithology.

Key areas: Bird biology, including identification and taxonomy, functional morphology, ecology, evolution and behavior.

Learning Outcome

Competencies
Evaluate scientific ornithological papers
Define ornithological questions and devise solutions
Reflect on the solution to ornithological problems and general inference

Skills
Describe ornithological methods and apply a selection of these method Analyse ornithological data sets
Identify most Danish bird species

Knowledge
All extant bird orders
Basic aspects of the ecology, evolution, functional morphology and behaviour of birds

Literature

“See Absalon for a list of course literature. Example of course literature: Graham Scott Essential Ornithology. Oxford University Press.”

Various original research papers

 

Knowledge of Danish birds on a level corresponding to the bachelor course Danmarks Fauna – hvirveldyr.

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Three weekly three-hour teaching blocks, one full day teaching block and two one-day and one two-day weekend field excursion. A teaching block can be a combined one-hour lecture and two-hour colloquias or practical exercises, and lectures and colloquias may be combined. The practical exercises include: Field excursions (capture and marking, counts; potentially bioacustics or collection of tissue samples), identification exercises, preparation of specimens, and operational exercises (calculus), Throughout the course, the students will work on their own ornithological project which will be handed in at the end of the course in the form of a scientific paper.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 11
  • Class Instruction
  • 20
  • Preparation
  • 75
  • Practical exercises
  • 24
  • Excursions
  • 25
  • Project work
  • 50
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Collective
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 20 minutes (incl. grading)
Written assignment
Type of assessment details
The group report must be handed in one week before the exam. The oral examination consists of a discussion of a scientific paper and a specimen, both known from the course, and the written report/project. Oral examination without preparation time.

Weight: written assignment 40% and oral exam 60%. Only an overall grade is given.

It is a requirement that the student has participated in writing a group report.
Aid
Only certain aids allowed

The written assignment is with all aids allowed

The oral exam is without aids

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners.
Re-exam

As the ordinary exam - the same or revised written report can be handed in before the Re-exam.

Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcome