Bird collections in museums play an important role in preserving avian biodiversity and providing research specimens for ornithologists around the world. The United States is home to some of the most extensive ornithological collections that document the diversity of birds across the country and beyond.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
The largest bird collection in the United States belongs to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History located in Washington, DC. This massive collection houses over 620,000 bird specimens from around the world, making it one of the largest such collections globally.
The Division of Birds at the Smithsonian NMNH manages this expansive collection that documents avian diversity across taxonomic groups, geographic regions, and time. Specimens range from recently collected birds to those collected over 200 years ago by early naturalists and explorers.
There are representatives of over 95% of known bird species in the world. Nearly two-thirds of the specimens are from outside the United States, providing insights into global avian biodiversity. At the same time, 145,000 specimens represent North American species, creating an invaluable record of birds across the continent.
From tiny hummingbirds to large ratites and everything in between, the Smithsonian houses incredible diversity. Specimens include birds with unusual plumages, subspecies, juveniles, eggs, nests, tissues, and spread wings. They aid research in systematics, evolutionary biology, morphometrics, and conservation.
While the collection started in the mid-19th century, it continues to expand as new specimens are added every year. State-of-the-art storage facilities and a team of collection managers ensure these irreplaceable specimens are preserved for posterity.
American Museum of Natural History
The bird collection at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City is another one of the largest in the world, with over 75,000 specimens representing diverse avian families. It contains representatives from over two-thirds of known bird species globally.
The AMNH collection provides broad taxonomic coverage from across the world while also containing significant material from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Many historically important specimens exist at the AMNH, including some collected in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
There are also specimens collected by seminal naturalists and ornithologists like Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, Lewis and Clark, John James Audubon, and Spencer Fullerton Baird. These provide a look into the early history of ornithology in the United States.
Beyond research, this compilation also aids exhibits and educational programs at the museum that connect millions of annual visitors to biodiversity and evolution.
Field Museum of Natural History
Home to over 500,000 bird specimens, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has the fourth largest ornithological collection in the world. It contains representatives of over 95% of known bird species, including many rare and endangered birds.
There is excellent coverage of New World species from North and South America. At the same time, Old World diversity is also well-represented by birds from Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Many historically significant explorers and naturalists like Teddy Roosevelt, Ernest H. Wilson, and Rollo Beck contributed specimens.
Beyond research, this collection also allows exhibits that educate millions of Field Museum visitors on evolution, diversity, adaptations, and conservation. Scientists also analyze tissues and DNA from historic specimens to assess evolutionary relationships and population changes.
University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
Home to the KU Natural History Museum, the Biodiversity Institute at the University of Kansas contains over 630,000 bird specimens, making it one of the top university collections. It started over 120 years ago and has expanded through extensive global field explorations.
There is particular strength in specimens from South and Central America, Africa, and Asia that provide baseline data from regions facing extensive habitat loss. The collection has representatives of over 90% of the world’s bird species with extensive series from Mexico, Peru, Borneo, and the Philippines.
It serves as an important resource for research in systematics, biogeography, ecology, genetics, and conservation. The specimen data is widely accessible online for researchers worldwide. The collection also fuels exhibits reaching around 300,000 annual visitors.
Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates
The Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates houses over 100,000 bird specimens, making it one of the largest university collections. It documents avian diversity across the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Several historically important collections exist at the museum. These include specimens from 19th and early 20th century naturalists like John James Audubon, Spencer Fullerton Baird, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and Arthur A. Allen. There are also specimens collected by seminal Cornell ornithologists like Arthur Augustus Allen, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and Albert R. Brand.
The bird collection serves as an invaluable resource for researchers and fuels exhibits at the Lab of Ornithology, a world leader in ornithological research. The museum also loans out specimens to scientists around the world for comparative studies.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The bird collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History contains over 200,000 specimens representing 90% of the world’s avian diversity. Housed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it has strengths in species from the New World and Madagascar.
Noteworthy parts of the collection include the massive Henry K. Wetherbee collection of New World bird eggs and the oldest-known specimens of the extinct Carolina parakeet and passenger pigeon. There are also historically significant collections made by early naturalists like John Bell Hatcher and W.E. Clyde Todd.
Beyond research, this collection fuels exhibits educating museum visitors about evolution and conservation. Digital access to collection data is facilitating new research and allowing scientists to address pressing issues like biodiversity loss and climate change.
UCLA Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection
The UCLA Dickey collection, located in Los Angeles, California, contains over 105,000 bird specimens. It serves as an important record of avian diversity from the western United States, Mexico, and Central America and includes migratory species like hummingbirds.
The collection has expeditionary specimens from remote areas of Mexico and Central America that provide baseline data from threatened habitats. It contains representatives of extinct species like the Guadalupe Storm-petrel and recently extinct populations like the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike.
Scientific collecting expeditions continue to enhance the collection, while new digital databases are increasing accessibility for researchers worldwide. The bird collection also fuels hands-on learning for UCLA students.
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
The Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut houses over 150,000 bird specimens, making it one of the oldest and most extensive university collections. Specimens document avian diversity across North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The collection started in the early 1800s and has been expanded through active fieldwork by generations of Yale ornithologists. Important collections were contributed by prominent Yale figures like Benjamin Silliman, Addison Emery Verrill, and Othniel Charles Marsh.
Peabody bird specimens serve as critical research tools for Yale scholars and others studying avian evolution, ecology, biology, and conservation. Digital specimen catalogs are making this resource more accessible for researchers worldwide.
Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology
The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ) in Camarillo, California houses nearly one million bird egg sets and nest collections. This makes it the largest such repository in the world.
The collection has global coverage, with excellent representation from western North America across hundreds of avian species. There are also significant collections from Peru, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and Mexico. These provide important baseline data from regions facing extensive habitat alteration.
This massive collection preserves irreplaceable records of historic egg and nest morphometrics that allow scientists to study changes over time. It serves as an invaluable resource for ornithologists researching reproduction, development, ecology, environmental toxins, and conservation.
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
The bird collection at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology contains over 95,000 specimens representing 90% of the world’s avian families. It has excellent representation from across the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands.
Important parts of the collection include the Ralph Palmer Alaskan bird collection, the Iranian Ornithological Collection, and Philip Ashmole’s collection documenting island biogeography. These provide critical baseline data for remote regions.
The collection serves as an important teaching tool for University of Michigan students while also fueling global research in systematics, biogeography, evolution, ecology, and conservation. Expanding online databases increase accessibility to researchers worldwide.
Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology
Home to over 350,000 bird specimens, the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University contains one of the oldest and most extensive collections in the country. Noteworthy components include Guy Emerson’s Mexican bird collection and Outram Bangs’ collection of New World passerines.
Louis Agassiz started the collection in 1859, and it has continued to grow through active fieldwork by generations of Harvard zoologists. All major avian groups are represented from around the world, with excellent coverage of neotropical diversity.
Extensive online databases make this unrivaled collection accessible to researchers worldwide. It continues to serve as an invaluable resource for Harvard faculty and students studying all aspects of ornithology and serves as the basis for evolutionary biology courses.
Conclusion
The United States is privileged to house some of the largest and most significant bird collections in the world. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History collection stands above the rest with over 620,000 specimens representing the diversity of global avifauna across time and space.
Other leading collections include those at the American Museum of Natural History, Field Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, Cornell University, and Carnegie Museum of Natural History. These house hundreds of thousands of bird specimens and exemplify the importance of natural history museums in preserving avian biodiversity.
University collections at institutions like Yale, UCLA, University of Michigan, and Harvard also contain expansive resources for research and education. Unique collections like the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology provide singular resources on bird eggs and nests.
These ornithological collections provide a window into avian diversity across the Americas and globally. They represent the work of generations of explorers, naturalists, and scientists who braved remote regions to document birds. Specimens, tissue samples, and their associated data create an invaluable foundation for ongoing studies in systematics, biogeography, evolution, morphology, and conservation.
As natural ecosystems face pressure worldwide, these collections gain even more importance as baselines for understanding changes over time. They preserve crucial data from habitats and species that may not exist in the future. New databases and digitization efforts are enhancing access and utility for researchers confronting pressing environmental challenges.
By housing the hard work of those who came before us, America’s unparalleled bird collections are treasures that will continue to inspire ornithologists for generations to come.
