National University of Uzbekistan

Ornithological collection

N.A. Zarudny

The ornithological collection of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology is the largest scientific fund comprising 20.902 specimens of 606 species. The collection includes 63 families of 20 orders. The largest part of the collection (13,281 specimens) is comprised of collections made by the world-famous ornithologist Nikolai Alekseevich Zarudny during his travels in Iran and Turkestan. of these, 266 unique specimens served N.A. Zarudny for new descriptions of 71 species and subspecies of birds from Central Asia and Iran. N.A. Zarudny had extensive exchanges with colectioners from other states. There are author materials of N.M. Przevalsky, N.A. Severtsov, A.M. Nikolsky M. Harms, Tschesi and other well-known scientists.

D.N. Kashkarov

In 1918, N.A. Zarudny organized a Zoological Department at Turkestan Museum in Tashkent. He supervised this department and presernted all his collections to it. After his death, on the initiative of D.N. Kashkarov the collection was presented to the zoological room of Central-Asian State University, which was established in 1920. R.N. Meklenburtsev, who was a student then, became a keeper, researcher and the best expert of this collection for 50 years. The collection of N.A. Zarudny kept at the National University of Uzbekistan has been preserved and expanded owing to his efforts; it continues to serve science until hitherto (Kashkarov, Zagrebin, 1998).

R.N. Meklenburtsev

After R.N. Meklenburtsev retired, the senior lecturer at the Department of Zoology, O.N. Sudarev, became the keeper of this ornithological collection from 1975 to 1983.

O.N. Sudarev

From 1983 to 2003, the keeper of the zoological collection was the assistant professor and then the professor at the department, D.Yu. Kashkarov. In 1994, a scientific group Ornithologist was established on his initiative, which started studies, systematization and rehabilitation of the ornithological collection of N.A. Zarudny.

D.Yu. Kashkarov

Scientists well-known in the first half of the 20th century participated in the replenishment of the the collection, namely, G.V. Loudon, V.N. Bostanzhoglo, S.I. Bilkevich, G.E. Grum-Grzhimailo, V.Yu. Gerkhner, E.L. Shestoperov, V.Ya. Lazdin, B.P. Koreev, E.P. Spangenberg, D.N. Kashkarov, I.I. Kolesnikov, T.Z. Zakhidov. Of modern scientists (1960 to 1990) the mopst significant contribution to the collection was made by O.V. Mitropolsky (538 specimens mainly from Mangyshlak, the Desert Kyzylkum, Transcaucasia and Gissar Ridge) and V.V. Nozdryukhin (227 bird specimens from the Alai Ridge).

The fund of the ornitholgoical collection of the National University of Uzbekistan includes 93.8% of the total species composition of the Uzbekistani avifauna. Together with the Central Asian diversity, this collection includes individual species of the avifauna of North Africa, Europe, Siberia, Mongolia, the Far East, China and the islands of Japan.

Associates of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology (1970s): G.P.Yashchuk, O.N.Sudarev, T.Z.Zakhidov, I.K.Salikhbaev, A.N.Ayupov

In the territorial respect, the distribution of the ornithological collection is the following: the most numerous are collections made in the flat land part of Tashkent province (Tashkent province flat lands), 30.9% of all specimens. For 15 years, N.A. Zarudny lived in Tashkent and actively explored the avifauna of the vicinity. This collection is followed by the collection made in the Pamirs-Alai, 14.8% of all specimens. Part of this collection was made by N.A. Zarudny during his field trips in 1907, 1908 and 1910, while part of it was presented by outstanding explorers of the Pamirs-Alai, V.Ya. Lazdin and S.I. Bilkevich. The coryphaeus of Uzbek ornithology, R.N. Meklenburtsev, contributed 860 specimens to the collection. The Persian collections made by N.A. Zarudny and partly by S.I. Bilkevich constitute 10.74% of this collection. For many years the interest of researchers has been directed to Western Tien Shan. The birds from this region comprise 7.59% of this collection. Big series of birds were collected by N.A. Zarudny during his field trips down the Syrdarya River in 1911 (5.61% of all collection), during his trips across the desert Kyzylkum in 1912 and sail alog the eastern coast of the Aral sea in 1914 and down the Amudarya in 1910 (2.51 and 2.09% of collected specimens. A significant part of specimens from the European part of Russia (3.89 %) and southern Urals (3.9%) were stored in the private collection of N.A. Zarudny and subsequently brought by him to Tashkent in 1906. geographically unidentified remain 1.37% of collections.

The ornithological collection of the NU Uz

The collection was most actively replenished in late 19th century and in the first quarter of the 20th century (72.5% of the collection) - during the first, the most active study of the Central Asian fauna. In the following two 25-year-long periods (1926 to 1950 and 1951 to 1975), the supplies for the collection were approximately similar - 7.0 to 9.2%. This was the so-called "Soviet period" in the local zoology, which was connected with the names of such outstanding names as R.N. Meklenburtsev, I.I. Kolesnikov, T.Z. Zakhidov. The last quarter of the 20th century is noted for a sharp drop in collections.

The collection is housed in a large hall of the fourth storey of the Faculty of biology and Soil Science. Most of specimens are stored in 12 special wooden cabinets. In each of the cabinets, there are eight wooden boxes-containers with tight covers and four trays for specimens. Large waterfowl, Ciconiiformes and birds of prey are stored in twenty-six low cabinets with drawers. All cabinets and drawers have their own numbers. The index of families kept in them is available on the front part. The card-index of the collection made in the alphabetic order is situated in the working office of the scientific group Ornithologist (room 430) next to the collection hall. The electronic database is in the computer situated in this office. There is a fumigation chamber with the volume of two cubic meters, liquefied bromide methyl and a small steam-formalin chamber at the Department of Zoology, which are used for the sanitary processing of the collection.

Specimens from the collection of the National University of Uzbekistan