Honorary Member 2026
Dr. Karl Schulze-Hagen

In recognition of his diverse scholarly œuvre, his significant contributions to the history of ornithology, and his many years of commitment to the German Ornithological Society.

Laudatory Address

By appointing Dr. Karl Schulze-Hagen as an honorary member, the German Ornithological Society honors an individual who uniquely combines scientific research, historical investigation, and extraordinary dedication to our field and our society.

Awarding of honorary membership 2026  to Dr. Karl Schulze-Hagen (left) by the President of the DOG, Dr. Dorit Visbeck-Liebers (center), and the laudator Klaus Nottmeyer (right)

Even as a teenager, Karl Schulze-Hagen took a deep interest in the biology of birds. In 1970, he became the state winner in North Rhine-Westphalia of Jugend forscht with a project on the diet of the Barn Swallow. By then, he had already published his first ornithological contributions.

That same year, he began studying biology at the University of Bonn. His diploma thesis on nesting-site requirements and breeding success of the Sedge Warbler points to the group of species that would accompany him for many years: the reed warblers. After earning his diploma in 1974, he studied medicine and embarked on his professional career with specialist training as a gynecologist. Since 1987, he has worked as a women’s doctor in Mönchengladbach.

At the same time, Karl Schulze-Hagen not only remained connected to ornithology – he continued pursuing it with impressive consistency. Over nearly six decades, he produced a body of scholarly work of exceptional breadth. At first, the focus was on field-biological studies of the Marsh, Reed, and Sedge Warblers. For the Handbook of the Birds of Central Europe, he treated these three species; together with Bernd Leisler, he published the comprehensive monograph The Reed Warblers – Diversity in a Uniform Bird Family in 2011.

Since the mid-1990s, the history of ornithology has increasingly come to the fore. In this field, he is interested not only in scientific findings, but equally in the people and networks, collections, and historical sources from which our present knowledge has emerged.

His work led him deep into archives, libraries, and museum collections. Together with Klaus Nigge and Jürgen Fiebig, he published Bird Worlds. Expeditions into the Museum in 2022. From his intensive engagement with the estate of Oskar, Magdalena, and Katharina Heinroth came, together with Gabriele Kaiser, The Bird Flatshare. The Heinroths, Their 1,000 Birds, and the Beginnings of Ethology; in 2025, this was followed by a major exhibition at the Berlin State Library.

For the DOG, Karl Schulze-Hagen’s historical knowledge is of special value. He has published extensively on the history of our society, not shying away from difficult chapters. Together with Eugeniusz Nowak, he critically examined, on the basis of sources, Günther Niethammer’s activities during National Socialism. Karl is therefore also a particularly important interlocutor for the current effort to come to terms with the DOG’s history – as a precise connoisseur of the sources and at the same time as a contemporary witness. Whether the topic is people and publications, libraries and archives, or nearly forgotten connections, the advice is astonishingly often: Ask Karl. And when one asks Karl, one usually gets a source, a new idea – and not infrequently an exciting story as well.

Less visible, but just as important for a scholarly society, is Karl’s long-standing commitment as a reviewer for Vogelwarte. He has written more than 100 book reviews. His well-founded assessments are an enrichment for our members and a guide for their own reading.

But his scholarly œuvre and broad specialist knowledge alone do not explain the special position Karl Schulze-Hagen holds within the DOG. In him, enthusiasm, warmth, and discipline combine in an extraordinary way. He generously shares his knowledge, approaches others with curiosity and appreciation, and is able to win people over to topics and ideas. Especially for a society like the DOG, in which dedicated amateurs have their place alongside ornithologists from research and teaching, this ability is of inestimable value.

With honorary membership, the German Ornithological Society therefore honors not only an outstanding body of scientific and history-of-science work. It honors a person who has enriched ornithology with curiosity and enthusiasm for nearly six decades and who is connected to our society in a particularly special way through his knowledge, generosity, and warmth.

On behalf of the German Ornithological Society, we warmly congratulate Dr. Karl Schulze-Hagen on his honorary membership and thank him for his many years of loyalty to our society.

Mainz, September 17, 2026

Dr. Dorit Visbeck-Liebers
President 

Klaus Nottmeyer
Laudator