The Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle (KLF) is a research facility in
Grünau im Almtal
Grünau im Almtal is a village in the Austrian state of Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Rep ...
(
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
), maintained jointly by private and public entities. The KFL is dedicated mainly to behavioral biology of birds and named after the Nobel laureate
Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Zacharias Lorenz (; 7 November 1903 – 27 February 1989) was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch. He is often regarded ...
, who established the facility in 1973.
History and Organisation
The facility was created in 1973, when Konrad Lorenz retired from his position as chair of the
Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology
The former Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology was located in Bulldern, Westphalia, Germany, moved to Seewiesen in 1957. It was one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society (Max Planck Gesellschaft).
Background
A working group was f ...
in
Seewiesen (Germany) and returned to his native country Austria. Lorenz had been looking for a place to continue research on greylag geese and the biologist
Otto König facilitated the establishment of an appropriate field station in association with a recently established game park in Grünau.
For seven years, the
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (german: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. ...
financed the facility, before the
Austrian Academy of Sciences took over the financing in 1980. Konrad Lorenz died in 1989, which required a re-structuring of the field station. Since 1990, the reformed Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle is maintained by a private association, the federal province of Upper Austria and the University of Vienna. The KLF is chaired by the behavioural biologist
Kurt Kotrschal. In 2008, the
Wolf Science Center was established as a spin-off of the KLF.
Research
In line with the legacy of Konrad Lorenz, the research focus of the KLF lies on behavioural biology of birds and cognitive studies. Research models are in particular
greylag goose
The greylag goose or graylag goose (''Anser anser'') is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus ''Anser''. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and pink legs. A ...
,
bald ibis
__NOTOC__
The small bird genus ''Geronticus'' belongs to the ibis subfamily (Threskiornithinae). Its name is derived from the Greek ''gérontos'' (γέρωντος, "old man") in reference to the bald head of these dark-plumaged birds; in Englis ...
and
corvid
Corvidae is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family (biology), family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rook (bird), rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs, and nutcracker (bird), nutcrackers. In coll ...
birds. In addition to behavioural studies, the KLF is active in conservation efforts of bold ibis and was the first institution world-wide that succeeded in establishing a self-sustained colony of bold ibis from birds bred in captivity.
Funding and facilities
The core—funding of 80,000 Euro per year is provided from private sources (one third) and as a subsidy by the province of Upper Austria (two thirds). Project funds add between 200,000 and 300,000 Euro per year. Two staff scientists are provided as in-kind support by the University of Vienna. This allows the KLF to operate animal facilities, research and administrative space for 10 to 15 employees and project staff.
Other
*
Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology The Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology (german: Konrad-Lorenz-Institut für Vergleichende Verhaltensforschung or KLIVV) is a research institute in Vienna, Austria, dedicated to studying behavioral biology and the links between animal behaviour and ...
*
Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research
The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI) is an international center for advanced studies in the life and sustainability sciences. It is a "Home to Theory that Matters" that supports the articulation, analysis, and int ...
External links
Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle
References
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Research institutes in Austria
Konrad Lorenz