Eugen Ferdinand von Homeyer

Who was Eugen Ferdinand von Homeyer?

Eugen Ferdinand von Homeyer was a German ornithologist. He made early studies of the birds of Pomerania.

Eugen Ferdinand von Homeyer at first dedicated himself to agriculture on the family farm, where he began to make scientific observations and establish a collection. In 1840 he married and acquired in 1852 the property Warbelow where he built a landscape park. He sold this after the death of its wife in 1873 and then lived in Stolp, where he dedicated himself to the natural sciences and ornithology. He corresponded with many European ornithologists, and through further collecting and purchase built up an important collection of European bird species. He undertook several expeditions with Alfred Brehm to the Lower Danube. This was made possible through his acquaintance with the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria.

Homeyer was a founding member of the German Ornithological Society and from 1876 to 1883 their president. On his death his collection of 20,000 bird specimens was given to the Braunschweig Natural History Museum. Eugen von Homeyer wrote over 150 articles on birds and was the first describer of the Semi-collared Flycatcher and the Cyprus Wheatear. His nephew Alexander von Homeyer was also an ornithologist.