Department of Ornithology

This collection contains skins, skeletons, exhibition models, eggs, nests, feathers, and specimens preserved in alcohol, which together constitute around 71,000 objects. Researchers worldwide use both these specimens and their corresponding data. The Department records, conserves, and maintains the collection in addition to supporting external research projects. Its own research focuses on developing the collection and reconstructing collecting activities in the past. The Department also accepts animal cadavers found in the greater Hamburg region, takes tissue samples in cooperation with other museums, and participates in the genetic recording and documentation of the variability of local avian fauna.