Explore Bird Hall to discover the many shapes, sizes, colors, and characteristics of birds. Bird Hall features more than 300 taxidermy mounts and study skins of birds that range from tiny hummingbirds to massive Golden eagles. Compare the variations of owls or examine the elaborate feathery plume of a superb Lyrebird up close.
Bird Hall has an array of birds collected over two centuries that illustrate many topics: Endangered and Extinct Species, Flightless, Tropical Rainforests, Birds of Paradise, Sexual Dimorphism, Avian Reproduction, Aquatic Birds, Adaptations for Feeding, and Defining Species. The lower hallway mostly displays non-passerines (non-perching birds) found in Pennsylvania: ducks, raptors, herons, doves, shorebirds, gallinaceous birds (ground-feeding game birds), and more.
Meet our Ornithologists
Learn about the Bird Collection at the Museum
The bird collection at the museum, the Section of Birds, contains nearly 190,000 specimens of birds.
Some ornithologists are Bird Banders. What is that?
Blogs about Birds
Natural History Collection Managers: The Stewards of Time Travel
by Serina Brady and Mariana Marques For centuries, naturalists have collected the living world with the primary goal of understanding the diversity …
Life Lessons from Dead Birds
by Pat McShea The title of this post, “Life Lessons from Dead Birds,” is a phrase I use to summarize my long …
A Year in Review: Bird Banding 2023
by Annie Lindsay Nestled between the Chestnut and Laurel Ridges near the town of Rector, Pennsylvania lies Powdermill Nature Reserve, Carnegie Museum …
2023 Rector Christmas Bird Count Results
by Annie Lindsay For a few hours before dawn on the chilly morning of December 16, several intrepid birders scoured the Rector …
