| Adolf Böcking | |
| Birth Date: | 14 June 1831 |
| Birth Place: | Germany |
| Death Date: | 18 April 1898 (aged 47) |
| Nationality: | German |
| Known For: | Research on the rhea Going missing and committing suicide |
| Father: | Eduard Böcking |
Adolf Theodor Erich Böcking (14 June 1831 – 18 April 1898) was a German-born naturalist who settled in the United States. He studied the biology of the rhea and was among the first to publish a monograph on the species.
Böcking was born in Bonn, the son of law professor Eduard Böcking. He studied natural sciences at the University of Bonn and received a doctorate in 1863 for his study of the rhea.[1] [2] In 1865 he went to South America to study the fauna on behalf of the Prussian government. He then settled in the United States of America after buying a farm in Kansas. He however failed in making any profit from farming after repeated loss of harvest. He then served briefly as a director of the Friedrichsburg School in Texas, wrote scientific papers, and gave lectures while living in San Antonio. He was also a member of the Scientific Society of San Antonio. In the summer of 1898, he was found missing and it was later found that he had shot himself.[3]