Aleksey Sergeevich Malchevskiy (; 12 August 1915 – 25 July 1985) was an
ornithologist
Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...
from the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
who served as dean of biology at the Leningrad State University (now
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...
) from 1969 to 1973. He studied cuckoos, avian behaviour, and calls, and influenced many ornithologists in the Soviet Union. He was a pioneers in examining evolutionary trends in
philopatry
Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area. The causes of philopatry are numerous, but natal philopatry, where animals return to their birthplace to breed, may be the most common. The term derives ...
and post-natal dispersal in birds.
Biography
Aleksey was born to Sergey P. Malchevskiy, a professor of chemistry at Petrograd and Varvara Nikolayevna who was a graduate of the Smolny Institute. Alexey studied biology at Leningrad State University working towards a Ph.D. on the vertebrate fauna of the
Transvolga
Transvolga Region or Transvolga (, Zavolzhye) is a territory to the East of Volga River bounded by Volga, Ural Mountains, Northern Ridge, and Caspian Depression.
The region is traditionally subdivided into the elevated High Transvolga (Выс ...
region. He defended his thesis on 26 June 1941, the fourth day after the war broke out. His studies were interrupted by the war and he was drafted to the Leningrad Front and later in Belarus where he served as commander of an infantry platoon. He was wounded by machine gun fire at
Königsberg
Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
on 20 February 1945 and left for dead. Badly injured and bleeding, he crawled and narrowly escaped death. A thick book in which he kept his bird observations had several bullets embedded in it. After the war he returned as a biology faculty at Leningrad State University. He wrote his
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
thesis under Professor
Valentin Dogiel and obtained a Dr. Biol. Sc. in 1958, then became a professor and guide to more than 30 students, including Roald L. Potapov and Vitaly Bianki, Jr. During the Stalinist era, Malchevskiy's assistance was sought to prove
Trofim Lysenko
Trofim Denisovich Lysenko (; , ; 20 November 1976) was a Soviet agronomist and scientist.''An ill-educated agronomist with huge ambitions, Lysenko failed to become a real scientist, but greatly succeeded in exposing of the “bourgeois enemies o ...
's theory that the cuckoo was not a distinct species of birds and that it was the result of changing the diet of a warbler.
A major contribution to ornithology was his work on philopatry and post-natal dispersal of birds.
Malchevskiy helped produce documentary films on bird nesting and on the
capercaillie
''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Feathers from the bird were used to create the characteristic hat of the bersaglieri, an Italian ace infantry formation.
...
. His studies included those on cuckoo
brood parasitism
Brood parasitism is a subclass of parasitism and phenomenon and behavioural pattern of animals that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the ...
. His extensive recordings of bird sounds and notes are stored at the St. Petersburg State University. He was decorated for his services by an
Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...
.
Malchevskiy was married to Tatyana Nikolayevna (née Tretyakova), and they had two daughters.
References
Further reading
Special issue 111 – 2015. ''The Russian Journal of Ornithology''. Volume 24 – In Russian** Cherepanov, G. O.; Bardin, A. V. – Aleksey Sergeevich Malchevskiy (1915–1985) and his students. 647–669.
**
Ardamatskaya, T. B. – Memoirs about Aleksey Sergeevich Malchevskiy. 670–673.
** Prokofieva, I. V. – Memoirs about Aleksey Sergeevich Malchevskiy. 673–691.
** Kalinin, M. V. Hunter, ornithologist, soldier... the bright memory of Aleksey Sergeevich Malchevskiy – friend and teacher. 692–699.
** Inge-Vechtomov, S. G.; Gaginskaya, A. R.; Gaginskaya, E. R.; Dondua, A. K.; Osipov, D. V.; Khozatsky, L. I.; Khrabrov, G. P. – Aleksey Sergeevich Malchevsky (1915–1985). 700–704.
** Potapov, R. L. – Blessed memory of Aleksey Sergeevich Malchevskiy (1915–1985). 705–709.
Soviet ornithologists
1915 births
1985 deaths
Academic staff of Saint Petersburg State University
Scientists from Saint Petersburg
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