Abstract
Death is an issue that all aviculturists
encounter, particularly during
breeding season. We agonize over
chicks who die in the egg or shortly
after hatching, and death among adolescent
or adult birds. At times , a
necropsy is performed to determine
the exact cause of death , other times
not.
For the atural HistOry Museum ,
their work begins with death .
Recently I had the privilege of meeting
with Steve Gustafson, curatorial
assistant of San Diego's atural History
Museum , Department of Birds
and Mammals. According tO Steve
natural history museums are always
interested in obtaining donations of
all types of birds. For the ornithologist,
vast amounts of knowledge may
be gained through the examination of
a bird 's corpse. It is through the donation
of birds that they can Learn and
document characteristic of a species,
what role they played in survival and
how the e species currently relate to
other species.
External examination provides
information on plumage, color patterns,
body measurements, molting
pattern , and other specific details
unique to that pecies. However, the
crux of the study is that which cannot
be seen in life ; the skeletal
makeup of the species. To the cientist
, the skeletOn provides some of the
most valuable information . Each
bone is measured and examined to
extract the most minute details possible.
With this knowledge, a scientist
can identify and classify a species
and , if needed , reconstruct the
species. In addition, the scienti t can
now determine the similarities or
differences between various species
of birds.