Ornithology Collection at the Academy of Natural Science

We were fortunate to get a look behind the scenes at the Academy of Natural

Sciences in Philadelphia. Dr. Nate Rice, Collection Manager of Ornithology,

showed us some of the bird specimens that have been collected for over 200

years. The collection is one of the largest and taxonomically most complete

bird collections in the world, with over 205, 000 study skins, from over 7, 000

species, and over 17, 000 tissue samples. The collection, including the use of

DNA from specimens, is used to study biodiversity, climate, and evolutionary

relationships.

Bird of Paradise

Hummingbird specimans of all colors and sizes, including the smallest extant bird species, the bee hummingbird.

Unbelievable - holding in our hands a specimen collected by Alfred Russel Wallace in New Guinea.

Another historical treasure, egg specimen collected by John James Audubon.