Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural HistoryThe Department of Ornithology maintains one of the largest collections of bird
specimens in the world. The research collections of the Department number nearly
one million specimens; these include skins, skeletons, alcoholic preparations, eggs,
nests, and tissue samples for molecular biochemical studies. A large number of
Ornithology type specimens and rare or extinct species are also found in its collections. The
specimens represent all continents and oceans and nearly 99 percent of all
species.
The Department has an ornithology library for research use and
maintains laboratories for specimen preparation, skeletal and anatomical
analyses and dissections, and a modern molecular laboratory for DNA sequencing
(the Cullman Molecular Laboratory).
Research interests include higher level phylogenetics of birds, studies of speciation
and species status, and the description of patterns of geographic variation. These
investigations are based on skin measurements, plumage color analysis, skeletal
measurements and analyses, anatomical dissections, and molecular studies.
Additional research involves biogeography of remote areas and life history studies
of poorly known taxa. Staff members organize expeditions annually to areas
throughout the world; recent expeditions include trips to Benin, Brazil, and Mexico.