Koch, Ludwig (1881–1974)

German naturalist who is remembered for his pioneering recordings of birdsong. After 1936 he lived in Britain, working as a naturalist, author, and broadcaster.

Koch was educated at Frankfurt-am-Main, Paris, and Milan. He was the first to record directly the songs of wild birds and the cries of other wild creatures, which he collected into ‘sound-books’. His publications include Songs of Wild Birds (with E M Nicholson), 1936, 1937, Animal Language (with J Huxley), 1938, and Memoirs of a Birdman, 1955.