| Authorised form of name | Pennycuick; Colin James (1933 - 2019) |
| Dates | 1933 - 2019 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Virginia Water, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 11/06/1933 |
| Date of death | 09/12/2019 |
| Occupation | Zoologist |
| Research field | Biology |
| Zoology |
| Ornithology |
| Flight |
| Activity | Education:
Lanesborough Prep School, Guildford (1943-1947); Wellington College, Berkshire (1947-1951); Merton College, University of Oxford, BSc in Natural Sciences - Zoology (1951-1955); Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, PhD in animal behaviour (1962)
Career:
National Service in Royal Airforce (1955-1957); Qualified as RAF pilot (1957); Research Assistant to Dr Thorpe, Department of Animal Behavious, Madingley (1960-1964); Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Zoology, University of Bristol (1964-1968); Lecturer in Zoology, University of Nairobi, Kenya (on secondment 1968-1971); Deputy Directpr, Serengeti Research Institute, Tanzania (1971-1973); Lecturer in Zoology (1973-1975) Reader in Zoology (1975-1983) University of Bristol; Maytag Professor of Ornithology, University of Miami, United States of America (1983-1992); Animal Ecology Group, Lund University (1992-); Wildlife and Wetlands Trust, Gloucestershire; research professor in zoology (1993-1997); senior research fellow (1997-), University of Bristol
Memberships:
Corresponding Fellow of American Ornithologists' Union (1975); Honorary Companion of the Royal Aeronautical Society (1994)
Medals/Awards:
Honorary doctorate from Lund University (1996) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 15/03/1990 |
| Age at election | 56 |
| PublishedWorks | Animal Flight (1972); Bird Flight Performance (1989); Modelling the Flying Bird (2008) |
| OtherInfo | Colin Pennycuick was a leading authority on the flight of birds and bats, and of bird navigation and migration. Amongst his many contributions, were advancing our understanding of the relationship between the power of flight muscles, wingbeat frequency and the power density of mitochondria — the ‘powerhouses’ of cells. Colin also shed light on species-specific phenomena such as gust soaring in albatrosses.
He was known for his innovative data collection from controlled experiments — he pioneered the use of wind tunnels for flight studies, for example — and observations, including those made using a powered glider. He also developed the ornithodolite, a portable instrument for real-time computer recording of azimuth, elevation and range of birds in flight.
Colin’s ‘Flight’ software models the mechanics of bird flight, covering flapping and gliding flight and long-distance migration. His textbook, Modelling the Flying Bird (2008), complemented his software, setting out the principles of aeronautical engineering and how they may be adapted to exploring biological problems of bird flight.
Professor Colin Pennycuick FRS died on 9 December 2019. |
| Source | Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/24/colin-pennycuick-obituary
https://royalsociety.org/people/colin-pennycuick-12073/ |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/59145488 |
| Code | NA417 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1990/27 | Pennycuick, Colin James: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1988 |
| IM/003504 | Pennycuick, Colin James | 1990 |