Overview

Although the term "ethology" dates back to 1859, it was only in the first half of the twentieth century that ethology—the systematic study of the function and evolution of behavior—expanded to become a recognized field of research. A key part of the development of this field was the widely recognized work of a number of animal behaviorists, notably zoologists Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989) of Austria, and Nikolaas Tinbergen (1907-1988) of the Netherlands. Lorenz gained prominence for his concept of filial imprinting, in which newly hatched geese will accept as their mother the first animal they see—even if that animal is a member of another species. Tinbergen is known for his research into the control and function of various animal behaviors. The two men, along with Austrian beecommunication researcher Karl von Frisch (1886-1982), shared the Nobel Prize in 1973 for...