Ernst Sutter (7 August 1914 – 9 November 1999) was a Swiss ornithologist and curator at the Basel museum. Sutter was a pioneer of radar ornithology, the study of

bird migration Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...

using

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

, in Europe. Sutter was born in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

where he studied. In the 1930s he participated in bird ringing at the Swiss Ornithological Institute and went to study

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

under Professor

Adolf Portmann Adolf Portmann (27 May 1897 – 28 June 1982) was a Swiss zoologist. Born in Basel, Switzerland, he studied zoology at the University of Basel and worked later in Geneva, Munich, Paris and Berlin, but mainly in marine biology laboratories in Fr ...

. Sutter's research was on the avian brain, its growth and development. He also conducted research on growth and moult in several bird species. Sutter completed his doctorate in 1943 and joined the museum In 1949 as a curator. He joined a collection expedition to

Sumba Sumba ( id, Pulau Sumba) is an island in eastern Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of , and the population was 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as a ...

travelling with the

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

Alfred Bühler. Sutter worked at the Basel museum until his retirement in 1980 but continued to work in an honorary position. A major research that Sutter undertook was on the study of bird migration using radar that he began at

Zurich airport Zürich Airport (), french: Aéroport de Zurich, it, Aeroporto di Zurigo, rm, Eroport da Turitg is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the airline hub, principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zürich, Switze ...

in 1954. He presented a summary of his research in 1958 at the

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. He also helped organize the Congress of 1954 at Basel and edited the proceedings of the conference. He was an editor of the Swiss journal ''Der Ornithologische Beobachter'' and advised many doctoral students.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutter, Ernst 1914 births 1999 deaths Swiss ornithologists 20th-century Swiss zoologists