Teaching and engaging bird enthusiasts in Switzerland: life-long learning opportunities for novices and experts

Ornithological education in Switzerland has a long and well-established tradition. For several decades, a structured multi-level course system has enabled a large number of individuals to acquire and expand their ornithological knowledge. With the progressive decline of species knowledge training in universities, these courses have gained renewed importance in recent years - evidenced by the growing participation of students.

The organization of ornithological education in Switzerland is coordinated by BirdLife Switzerland and its member associations. The system’s structure reflects the association’s organizational hierarchy. (1) Local member associations, active in their municipalities, offer introductory and youth courses for participants without prior knowledge. These courses cover the most common species and introduce fundamental aspects of avian anatomy, ecology, and behavior. (2) Building on this, the cantonal associations offer courses in field ornithology encompassing all bird species regularly occurring in Switzerland. (3) Advanced courses for excursion leaders, also organized by the cantonal associations, enable participants to deepen their expertise and learn didactic skills for guiding excursions and teaching courses. Graduates thus become valuable multipliers who further promote species knowledge and conservation awareness. Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 55 youth courses, 435 basic courses, 64 field ornithology courses, and 34 excursion leader courses were conducted, adding to an estimated total of 9,000 participants.

At all organizational levels, the training program serves as a crucial source of active species experts and nature conservationists. Many graduates remain engaged within local and cantonal BirdLife associations and regularly contribute to species conservation projects through baseline surveys and success monitoring. In addition, well-trained amateur ornithologists provide essential support for national research and data collection initiatives. In major projects - such as the Swiss Breeding Bird Atlas, waterbird counts, and the monitoring of common breeding birds - skilled volunteers play a decisive role. For example, the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach depends on over 300 qualified observers for the waterbird counts, and more than 2,000 volunteers contributed to the 2013–2016 Breeding Bird Atlas.