George Montagu (naturalist)
George Montagu | |
---|---|
Born | 1753 Lackham House, Wiltshire |
Died | 20 June 1815 |
Nationality | English |
Known for | Ornithological Dictionary Montagu's harrier |
Spouse | Ann Courtenay |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Ornithology |
George Montagu (1753 – 20 June 1815) was an English army officer and naturalist. He was known for his pioneering Ornithological Dictionary of 1802, which for the first time accurately defined the status of Britain's birds. He is remembered today for species such as the Montagu's harrier, named after him.
Life and work
George Montagu was born to James Montagu (1713–1790), who was great-great-grandson of Lord James Montagu (d. 1665), who was younger son of Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester.[citation needed]
Montagu is best known for his Ornithological Dictionary (1802) and his contributions to early knowledge of British birds. He showed that many previously accepted species were invalid, either because they were birds in summer or winter plumage or males and females of the same species. His study of harriers resulted in the discovery that the Montagu's harrier was breeding in southern England. He was also involved in the first British records of cirl bunting, whose breeding range in England is around his home in Devon,[1] as well as of cattle egret, little gull and gull-billed tern, and the discovery and description of the roseate tern.[2]
He was born at the family home of Lackham House in
Montagu had an interest in marine and freshwater natural history, and in 1803 published his Testacea Britannica, a History of British Marine, Land and Freshwater Shells. This described 470 species of
He died of
Works
- Ornithological Dictionary; or Alphabetical Synopsis of British Birds, J. White, 1802.
- Supplement to the Ornithological Dictionary, or, Synopsis of British birds, S. Woolmer, 1813.
References
Sources
- ISBN 0-12-487422-3
- Moss, Stephen (2005). A Bird in the Bush: A Social History of Birdwatching. Aurum. ISBN 1-84513-085-5(First published 2004)