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
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 …Birds in “Twelve Days of Christmas”: a Museum Search
by Patrick McShea The Twelve Days of Christmas When a traditional song about Christmas gifts reaches young ears, the centuries-old lyrics naturally …Museum Connections to a College Lab
by Patrick McShea During a recent Vertebrate Diversity Lab at Duquesne University, Dr. Brady Porter’s students closely examined preserved wildlife material on …