Portrait of Hermann Schlegel

Hermann Schlegel (1804-1884) was the second director of the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden, the current Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Love for nature was in his genes: his father was a passionate butterfly collector. When the young Hermann discovered a buzzard nest, his interest in ornithology was aroused. During his lifetime, he described and published books about dozens of bird species. Animals have even been named in his honour, such as the Schlegel's penguin and the Schlegel's viper.