ornithology

American  

[awr-nuh-thol-uh-jee] / ˌɔr nəˈθɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the branch of zoology that deals with birds.

---

ornithology British  

/ ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of birds, including their physiology, classification, ecology, and behaviour

---

ornithology Scientific  

/ ôr′nə-thŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of birds.

---

Other Word Forms

• ornithologic adjective
• ornithological adjective
• ornithologically adverb
• ornithologist noun
• unornithological adjective

Etymology

Origin of ornithology

From the New Latin word ornithologia, dating back to 1645–55. See ornitho-, -logy

Example Sentences

Watson thought of majoring in ornithology, the study of birds, but changed to genetics - influenced by Erwin Schrodinger's book What is Life?

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

The ornithology department houses floor-to-ceiling archives of carefully preserved bird specimens.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025

"Most hummingbirds drink while they're hovering mid-flight," said Rico-Guevara, who is also curator of ornithology at the UW's Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2024

That’s because the company’s giant color compendiums originate at least in part from ornithology and natural history.

From National Geographic • Dec. 7, 2023

I imagine it’s someone I haven’t met yet, someone I somehow missed while I was hiding out in the ornithology stacks and they were tearing through poetry and memorizing lines.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon