Mikhail Aleksandrovich Menzbier (Russian: Михаил Александрович Мензбир; 23 October 1855 – 10 October 1935) was a Russian and Soviet

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 ...

. He was a professor of comparative anatomy at the

Moscow University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...

and promoted an evolutionary view of faunistics in the Soviet Union. He also studied the birds of prey, published a textbook of zoology, and a two volume work on the birds of Russia.

Life and work

Menzbir was born in Tula where his father was an ensign who came from impoverished noble ancestry. His mother died when he was eleven and his interest in nature was sparked by his home tutor A.N. Nikitin. He also had access to the library of N.I. Belkin. He graduated from the Tula Gymnasium in 1874 after an interruption due to a typhus infection. He joined Moscow University in 1874 where he was influenced by Yakov Andreevich Borzenkov (1825-1883), Sergei Alexandrovich Usov (1827-1886), Karl Rouillier (1814-1858),

Anatoly Petrovich Bogdanov Anatoli Petrovich Bogdanov (; 13 October 1834 – 28 March 1896) was a Russian zoologist and a pioneer of physical anthropology. He served as a professor of zoology at Moscow University. He was influential in the establishment of Moscow zoo. Li ...

(1834-1896) and his PhD advisor was

Nikolai Alekseevich Severtsov Nikolai Alekseyevich Severtsov (; 5 November 1827 – 7 February 1885) was a Russian explorer and naturalist. He was among the early promoters of Darwinian ideas in Russia. Life and work Severtsov was born in Khvoshchevatovo, Zemlyansky dis ...

(1827-1885). Timiryazev was a friend. He defended his doctoral thesis on the zoogeography of birds in 1882. He then travelled through Europe examining museum collections and began to work on the taxonomy of the

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

. He returned to Moscow and became a privatdozent in 1884. Two years later, at the age of 31, he became one of the youngest professors at Moscow University. Menzbier was a professor of

comparative anatomy Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

from 1886 until 1911, when he resigned in protest against the oppressive treatment of students there. He then joined the

Shanyavsky Moscow City People's University Shanyavsky Moscow City People's University () was a university in Moscow that was founded in 1908 with funds from the gold mining philanthropist Alfons Shanyavsky. The university was nationalized in 1918 after the Russian revolution and merged in ...

. Following the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

in 1917 he returned to Moscow University where he became Rector. His students included P.P. Sushkin, S.A. Buturlin,

Aleksandr Kots Aleksandr Fyodorovich Kots (German form Alexander Erich Kohts; ; 19 April 1880 – 7 September 1964) was a Soviet and Russian zoologist and founding director of the State Darwin Museum in Moscow. His wife was the animal behaviourist Nadezhda Ladyg ...

, N.A. Bobrinsky, G.P. Dementiev,

V. B. Banjkovsky Vyacheslav Bronislavovich Banjkowski (also spelled Banjkovski, Bańkowski) (; 1889 - 8 December 1912) was a Russian ornithologist. He was a student of geography at the Imperial Moscow University and was a pioneer of avifaunal study in the Caucasus ...

, and V.G. Geptner. Menzbier wrote a textbook on zoology in 1887 which went into several editions. He also published a two volume work on the birds of Russia. Menzbier was a founding member of Russia's first ornithological body, the Kessler Ornithological Society. Menzbier was a supporter of

Darwinism ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sel ...

. He has been described as "one of the most consistent defenders of the classical Darwinian approach to the

struggle for existence The concept of the struggle for existence (or struggle for life) concerns the competition or battle for resources needed to live. It can refer to human society, or to organisms in nature. The concept is ancient, and the term ''struggle for existe ...

and of the selection theory in general." Apart from being a member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

, Menzbier was elected an honorary member of the

British Ornithologists' Union The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study of birds (ornithology) around the world in order to understand their biology and aid their conservation. The BOU was founded in 1858 by Professor Alfred Newton, Henry Baker ...

and the

Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft The German Ornithologists' Society (since 2024 , until then ) was founded in 1850, and is one of the world's oldest existing scientific societies. Its goal is to support and further scientific ornithology in Germany Germany, officially the F ...

, and a

corresponding member The corresponding member is one of the possible membership types in some organizations, especially in the learned societies and scientific academies. This title existed or exist in the Soviet Union, GDR, Polish People's Republic, Czechoslovak S ...

of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

, of the

Société zoologique de France La Société zoologique de France (), founded in 1876 by Aimé Bouvier, is a scientific society devoted to Zoology. It publishes a bulletin and organises the Prix Gadeau de Kerville de la Société zoologique de France. List of presidents * 18 ...

and the

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

. He is commemorated in the names of

Menzbier's marmot The Menzbier's marmot (''Marmota menzbieri'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae from Central Asia. Its name commemorates Russian zoologist Mikhail Aleksandrovich Menzbier. Distribution and habitat It inhabits meadows and steppe at ...

and the Menzbier Ornithological Society.Todes, Daniel P. (1989). ''Darwin Without Malthus: The Struggle for Existence in Russian Evolutionary Thought''. Oxford University Press. p. 205.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menzbier, Mikhail Aleksandrovich 1855 births 1935 deaths Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Honorary members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Ornithologists from the Russian Empire Rectors of Moscow State University Soviet ornithologists Russian scientists