Serinus estherae renatae Schuchmann & Wolters, 1982 (1 Viewer)

[Taphrospilus]

Serinus estherae renatae Schuchmann & Wolters, 1982 OD here

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:

Mountain Serin ssp. Serinus estherae renatae Schuchmann & Wolters, 1982
Dr Renate van den Elzen recently retired as Curator of Ornithology at the Alexander Koenig Museum in Bonn, Germany. She graduated with a doctorate in biology at the University of Vienna (1973). She was Secretary, German Ornithologists' Society (1990–1996) and started working with the Zambian Biodiversity Project (2006).

The Key to Scientific Names

Dr Renate van den Elzen (fl. 1982) Dutch ornithologist (subsp. Chrysocorythus estherae).

Her Ph. D. thesis was Nahrung und Nahrungserwerb der Bartmeise (Panurus biarmicus). At least in 1974 we can find her name as Renate van den Elzen-Wichtl. I assumed married at that time with Otto Wichtl as they published together Vogelbilder auf Münzen. Of course published some books like Prochtfinken, at least Co-author of Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas or Unsere schöne Vogelwelt in Garten, Feld und Wald.

 

[PScofield]

I can find no evidence of the claim she was Dutch...Her book on measuring birds is very useful.

 

[Taphrospilus]

OK she is Renate van den Elzen née Wichtl (father Otto Wichtl, mother Gudrun Wichtel née Servaes) born 1947 in Vienna. She married 1970 Paul van den Elzen.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Quick one, re. Renate van den Elzen, and "her" (Indonesian/Mountain) Serin ssp. ...

In today's Key explained as:

renatae
Dr Renate van den Elzen née Wichtl (b. 1947) Austrian ornithologist (subsp. Chrysocorythus estherae).

"I am a retired curator of birds at the ZFMK" [Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany] according to here (apparently, she's still publishing), ... which takes us here.

She also participated (at least in 2020/2022) in the Kommission „Deutsche Namen der Vögel der Erde“ for Die Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft (see here, or alt. here).

If anyone is even more curious, why not send her an e-mail?

Björn

PS. Either way, I assume she's not to be confused with her (fairly recently passed) Austrian namesake (here). Note that the husband of the latter (also?) was "Paul" ...