A Bird in the Hand is Worth a Lot

Within this past month, the same individual happened to visit the Cable Natural History Museum on two separate occasions, both times carrying a dead bird. One was a red crossbill that he had unfortunately hit while driving a county highway. The other he picked up as he saw a flash of red alongside a road. This, also, was a red crossbill. While the Museum already has representation of this species, his two salvaged birds were carefully placed in our freezer to await preparation. I laughed to myself at the chance of receiving two of the same bird from one man, but knew that both held the promise of bringing new life to our collections.

Having a taxidermy mounted on a perch and two study skins already in drawers, saving these new crossbills may seem excessive. The shelving is already fully lined from top to bottom, so why take up more space in the collections storage room? The way a curator sees it, more than one red crossbill couldn’t hurt. In fact, having duplicates of species better serves the public, researchers, and the mission of many museums.

The uniqueness of specimens is important. Physical differences between each of our multiple red crossbills can better inform our understanding of genetic variations within the species. As technology evolves, researchers gain more ways to look at the same object. Examining a specimen multiple times might actually reveal a unique trait that places it in a different species than originally thought. This happens quite often, in fact.  Records on date and location of collection additionally help us to observe changes over time, not only for a particular species, but changes in ecosystems as well. In this sense, museums act as part archive for research materials.

Museum visitors will also experience the benefits of having a stockpile of the same animal. The possibilities for positioning an animal are only limited by the ability to arrange its parts, as taxidermists bring life to their subject with the depiction of movement. A bird could be soaring with wings outstretched, talons clutched around a mouse, or calmly perched. The many interpretations allow a museum visitor to better experience what may be witnessed in the wild.

Ironically, receiving dead animals can bring such life to a museum’s collections.  These physical representations of the world around us can give just as much of a glimpse into the past as they can the future. When someone happens to bring in any animal or other natural materials, the Museum benefits significantly. We ask, however, that readers do not intentionally hit animals with their vehicles in the name of science.