The Swiss Ornithological Institute () is a

non-profit foundation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

headquartered in

Sempach Sempach is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Sursee (Amt), Sursee in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Lucerne (canton), Lucerne in Switzerland. History It has retained some traces of its medieval appearance, ...

in the district of

Sursee Sursee is a municipality in the district of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Sursee is located at the northern end of Lake Sempach, not far from where the ''Sure'' (or ''Suhre'') river exits the lake ("See"), hence the name "Sursee". ...

in the canton of

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

dedicated to the

study Study or studies may refer to: General * Education **Higher education * Clinical trial * Experiment * Observational study * Research * Study skills, abilities and approaches applied to learning Other * Study (art), a drawing or series of drawi ...

and

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

of birds. The Swiss Ornithological Institute was founded in 1924 as a ringing station for researching bird migration in the Alpine region. Since then, it has grown from a one-man volunteer operation into an internationally recognised institute with more than 130 employees. In 1954, the Swiss Ornithological Institute was registered as an independent foundation under Swiss law. In 1955, it moved from the town hall in Sempach to a new building on Lake Sempach. Since 1958, the institute has also operated a bird ringing station on

Col de Bretolet The Col de Bretolet is a mountain pass in the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais, close to the border between Switzerland and the French department of Haute-Savoie. It lies above the village of Champéry at an altitude of 1923 m asl within a 56 ...

at 1923 m

asl American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

. The Swiss Ornithological Institute monitors Switzerland's native birdlife, studies the behaviour of wild birds and seeks to understand the threats they face. It develops protection and conservation measures for threatened species and, together with its partners, works to ensure that the results of its research are used for the benefit of nature and birds. The Swiss Ornithological Institute operates a care centre for sick, injured and orphaned birds. As a national centre of expertise in ornithology and conservation, it also provides information and consulting services to the public, the media and the authorities. The institute offers programmes for schools and environmental education services to raise awareness for the protection of birds, a purpose primarily served by the state-of-the-art visitor centre that opened in 2015. The three-storey loam construction is the first of its kind in Switzerland. The private status of the Swiss Ornithological Institute is unique and distinguishes it from other ornithological institutes, many of which are governmental organisations. The Swiss Ornithological Institute is funded by donations and can count on more than 2,000 volunteers to support its nationwide bird-monitoring programmes.

References

External links

Official website of the Swiss Ornithological Institute

ornitho.ch
Ornithological organizations Canton of Lucerne Biological research institutes Bird migration Organizations established in 1924 1924 establishments in Switzerland Research institutes in Switzerland Sempach {{bird-stub

References

See also

External links