The is a non-profit scientific research organization in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, specializing in ornithology

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...

 studies.

History

The Yamashina Institute for Ornithology was founded by Dr. Yoshimaro Yamashina

Yoshimaro Yamashina

Marquis was a Japanese ornithologist. He was the founder of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology.-Biography:Yamashina was born in Kōjimachi, Tokyo, the second son of Prince Kikumaro Yamashina. He developed a love of birds at an early age, which were found in abundance on the vast Yamashina...

 at his home in Shibuya

Shibuya, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 as a private museum to store his collection of bird specimens and books. Marquis

Marquis

Marquis is a French and Scottish title of nobility. The English equivalent is Marquess, while in German, it is Markgraf.It may also refer to:Persons:...

 Yamashina was the second son of Prince Yamashina Kikumaro

Prince Yamashina Kikumaro

align=right|, was the second head of the Yamashina-no-miya, a collateral line of the Japanese imperial family.-Early life:Prince Yamashina Kikumaro was the son of Prince Yamashina Akira...

. He opened his museum to the public in 1942. At the Institute, Yamashina conducted research into bird taxonomy

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...

 based on chromosomes, and wrote numerous technical journal articles and books on ornithology.

The Institute relocated to its present location approximately 30 kilometer east of Tokyo at Abiko, Chiba

Abiko, Chiba

is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the town had an estimated population of 134,154 and a population density of 3110 persons per km²...

 in 1984. The Institute has maintained close ties to the Imperial Family of Japan. It is chaired by HIH Prince Akishino

Prince Akishino

Fumihito, The Prince Akishino is a member of the Japanese imperial family...

, younger brother to the Crown Prince Naruhito

Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan

is the eldest son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, which makes him the heir apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan.-Early life and education:...

 of Japan, and their younger sister Princess Sayako

Sayako Kuroda

, formerly , is the third child and only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. She held the childhood appellation "Nori no miya" . She married Yoshiki Kuroda on 15 November 2005...

 worked as a researcher at the Institute from 1992-2005, where she specialized in the study of kingfishers.

Organization

The Institute is organized into three research sections:

• The Ornithology Research Laboratory specializes in the ecology
  Ecology
  Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
  
   and systematics of birds, including foraging patterns of marine birds and genetic variations of bird populations, mainly using DNA sequencing
  DNA sequencing
  DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
  
  .

• The Bird Migration Research Center conducts bird banding campaigns, tagging more than 200,000 birds each year. It also experiments with radio telemetry, radar and satellite tracking to investigate migratory patterns
  Bird migration
  Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
  
  .

• The Library and Collection Center maintains a collection of 69,000 different avian specimens from all over the world, especially from eastern Asia and the north-western Pacific regions and a library of 39,000 ornithological books and periodicals.

Publications and events

The Yamashina Institute publishes several journals and reports, including the Journal of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, the annual Report of the Bird Migration Research Center and a monthly newspaper for support group members.

The Institute also sponsors a biannual Yamashina Yoshimaro Memorial Ornithological Award to an individual or group who has made remarkable contributions to the development ornithology or the protection of birds.