Dominic Louis Serventy
Encyclopedia
Dr Dominic Louis Serventy (28 March 1904 - 8 August 1988) was an eminent Perth
based Australia
n ornithologist
. He was born at Brown Hill, Western Australia
. He was educated at the University of Western Australia
and Cambridge University to parents of Croatian
origin. He was president of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
(RAOU) 1947-1949. He assisted with the initial organisation of the British Museum
's series of Harold Hall Australian ornithological collecting expeditions
during the 1960s, also participating in the third (1965) expedition.
He was co-author (with H. M. Whittell
) of Birds of Western Australia
, (published in five editions between 1948 and 1976), and (with John Warham
and his brother Vincent Serventy, a popular naturalist
) of The Handbook of Australian Sea-birds
(1971). He is commemorated by the RAOU's D.L. Serventy Medal which is awarded annually for outstanding published work on birds in the Australasian region.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
based Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
. He was born at Brown Hill, Western Australia
Electoral district of Brown Hill
The Electoral district of Brown Hill was a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. It was named for a local land feature, and covered part of the Goldfields city of Boulder, near Kalgoorlie. It was created at the 1904 redistribution and was merged in 1911 with the...
. He was educated at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
and Cambridge University to parents of Croatian
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
origin. He was president of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
(RAOU) 1947-1949. He assisted with the initial organisation of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
's series of Harold Hall Australian ornithological collecting expeditions
Harold Hall Australian Expeditions
The Harold Hall Australian Expeditions comprise a series of five main ornithological collecting expeditions carried out in the 1960s and covering much of the Australian continent.-Organisation:...
during the 1960s, also participating in the third (1965) expedition.
He was co-author (with H. M. Whittell
Hubert Whittell
Hubert Massey Whittell OBE was a British army officer, and later an Australian farmer and ornithologist who compiled a history and bibliography of ornithology in Australia from its origins until the mid 20th century....
) of Birds of Western Australia
Birds of Western Australia
The Birds of Western Australia is a book first published in 1948 by Patersons Press Ltd in Perth, Western Australia. Its full title originally was A Handbook of the Birds of Western Australia , though with the publication of the 5th edition only the shorter form was used. It was authored by...
, (published in five editions between 1948 and 1976), and (with John Warham
John Warham
Dr John Warham was an Australian and New Zealand photographer and ornithologist notable for his research on seabirds, especially petrels....
and his brother Vincent Serventy, a popular naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
) of The Handbook of Australian Sea-birds
The Handbook of Australian Sea-birds
The Handbook of Australian Sea-birds is a book published in 1971 by A.H. & A.W. Reed in Sydney. It was authored by Dominic Serventy, his brother Vincent Serventy, and John Warham. It is in octavo format and contains 264 pages bound in black buckram with a dustjacket illustrated with a photograph...
(1971). He is commemorated by the RAOU's D.L. Serventy Medal which is awarded annually for outstanding published work on birds in the Australasian region.
Honours
- 1952 - elected a Fellow of the RAOURoyal Australasian Ornithologists Union FellowsThe Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union may elect somebody to the position of Fellow, the highest grade of membership, for service to the RAOU and to ornithology. Fellows of the RAOU are entitled to use the letters FRAOU after their name. There is a limit to the number of Fellows that may...
- 1956 - awarded the Australian Natural History MedallionAustralian Natural History MedallionThe Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History...
- 1970 - awarded the Tasmanian Royal Society MedalRoyal Society of TasmaniaThe Royal Society of Tasmania was formed in 1844.The RST was the first Royal Society outside the United Kingdom. It started as the "Tasmanian Society" formed by Sir John Franklin assisted by Ronald Campbell Gunn....
- 1972 - appointed Ridder (Knight) in the Most Excellent Order of the Golden ArkOrder of the Golden ArkThe Most Excellent Order of the Golden Ark was established by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in 1971 as an order of merit. Although not awarded by, it is recognized by the government of the Netherlands as a legal order. It is awarded to people for major contributions to nature conservation...
by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands