Niko Tinbergen

Niko Tinbergen was a key figure in establishing ethology as a scientific discipline. His analytical and experimental talents complemented Konrad Lorenz's more intuitive theorizing; his work as a field biologist gave him perspectives that Lorenz lacked. Much of Tinbergen's early research focused on questions of behavioral causation. Later, in the 1950s, he focused more on questions of behavioral evolution and function (survival value). His formulation of the 'four questions' of ethology helped to define ethology and to provide a vision for its future. For his work, he received the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared with Lorenz and with Karl von Frisch.