2017
Award Winner: Dr. Manuel Schweizer

The 2017 Maria Koepcke Prize for outstanding research in avian collections goes to Dr. Manuel Schweizer of Bern, Switzerland. With this award, the DO-G honors an ornithologist who is deeply rooted not only in scientific collection work but also in field ornithology in the broadest sense. With remarkable determination, Dr. Schweizer has, in particular, advanced the integration of modern collection work and molecular genetic analysis methods, as evidenced by a large number of high-caliber publications. His interest in phylogeographic and systematic questions—which he has documented, among other things, in highly acclaimed works on parrots—distinguishes him as a scientist capable of integrating a wide variety of substantive aspects of current research.

Dr. Manuel Schweizer is the curator of ornithology at the Natural History Museum of the Burgergemeinde in Bern and, more recently, has also served as president of the Swiss Society for Ornithology and Bird Conservation. His many years of service on the Swiss Rarities Commission attest to his interest in field ornithology. For this reason, Dr. Schweizer is also known to many for the field guide to the birds of Central Asia, published in 2012 and co-authored by him with Raffael Ayé and Tobias Roth, which has since become a standard reference work on the avifauna of that region.

His numerous co-authorship credits in ornithological studies not only attest to the quality of his technical and methodological skills but also demonstrate Dr. Schweizer’s strong network within the international ornithological community, where his expertise in conceptual issues of avian systematics is also a significant asset. Last but not least, a large number of interesting works—including those on various other vertebrate groups—stem from his role at the intersection of molecular genetic analyses, which makes him a sought-after collaborator.

The German Ornithological Society is therefore awarding Dr. Schweizer the Maria Koepcke Prize in the hope that collection-related aspects will continue to play an important role in the laureate’s future research.

Till Töpfer (on behalf of the jury)
Halle (Saale), September 30, 2017