Niko's Nature

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This biography delves into the life of Niko Tinbergen, a naturalist whose observations of nature led to a revolutionary approach in the study of animal behavior. Hans Kruuk intricately weaves together Niko's personal and professional experiences, highlighting his Calvinist upbringing in an intellectual Dutch family, including a father who was a scholar and a Nobel Laureate brother. The narrative explores significant events, such as Niko's two years in a Nazi hostage camp and a transformative year spent in Greenland living among the Inuit, which profoundly influenced his scientific perspective. This period laid the groundwork for his pioneering experiments with free-living birds in the 1930s and 1940s, shifting animal behavior studies from laboratories to the wild. Kruuk also examines Niko's collaboration with Konrad Lorenz, culminating in a Nobel Prize in 1973, and his impactful teaching at Oxford, where he inspired students like Desmond Morris and Richard Dawkins. The biography addresses Niko's struggles with depression, the success of his influential book The Study of Instinct, and his controversial research on autism in children. Written by a former student and distinguished scientist, this account offers a heartfelt portrayal of a man who transformed our understanding of animal behavior.