WFVZ Bird Museum and Research Center

05/28/2026

Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) truly are great - they are large herons with a large range across North America. They have an average height of 3.5 feet and an average wingspan of 6 feet – but did you know that Great Blue Herons only weigh about 5 pounds? Like most birds, the bones of Great Blue Herons are hollow, so they weigh a lot less than they appear!

05/20/2026

The WFVZ Bird Museum is proud to share that .mariavilla, who visited the museum to collect data for her research, recently graduated with her PhD from George Mason University with the help of her advisor, Dr. Daniel Hanley. Congratulations to Dr. Juliana María Villa! We are excited to see what the future holds for you!

05/20/2026

70 years and still flying!

05/18/2026

Always wanted to see how we prepare eggs here at the WFVZ Bird Museum? Well, now you can! In honor of International Museum Day, here is a video of our collections manager, René Corado, preparing eggs for the museum, taken by researcher Yiru Cheng who visited us a year ago to study the evolution of bird egg color! This video shows how René removes the contents of the egg and cleans it out with water, preserving only the eggshell for research.

Here is a link to the original video on Taiwan Encyclopedia of Life’s website: https://taieol.tw/muse/digi_object/f756e708b57b1ba0ce155937dab2bf30

The video, with captions in English, will be posted on our website soon!

05/17/2026

What wonderful surprises our cameras capture at the museum sometimes!

05/14/2026

Have you ever seen a loon carrying its young on its back? Interestingly, Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) are the only species of loon that do not carry their young. Red-throated Loons often travel far to forage and fly food back to their young to feed them.
(allaboutbirds.org)

05/12/2026

Everyone knows owls can turn their heads much farther than we as humans can, but owls can’t actually turn their heads 360 degrees! Owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees – which is still impressive! They are able to do so by having fourteen neck vertebrae, making their heads more flexible than humans, who only have seven. They also have adaptations to their circulatory systems, permitting rotation without cutting off blood to the brain. How cool!

05/09/2026

Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough — a storyteller, naturalist, and one of the most enduring champions of our shared planet.

For as long as I can remember, Sir David has opened windows into the natural world, bringing moments of wonder, beauty, and discovery into homes across the globe and inspiring generations to fall in love with life on Earth. Through his voice, many of us first came to witness the astonishing richness of biodiversity — and to understand both its fragility and its resilience.

At 100 years old, his legacy is extraordinary. He has reshaped global awareness of conservation and reminded us, time and again, that protecting nature is not optional — it is fundamental to our future. His words continue to guide and challenge us.

As he reflected in A Life On Our Planet, his deeply personal account of a changing Earth:

“To restore stability to our planet, therefore, we must restore its biodiversity, the very thing we have removed. It is the only way out of this crisis that we ourselves have created. We must rewild the world!”

Thank you, Sir David, for a lifetime dedicated to protecting our planet.

Photo credit: BBC

05/09/2026

World Migratory Bird Day is today!

Every bird sighting tells a story and this 2026, we are celebrating the people around the world who help turn those sightings into knowledge for conservation.

Under the theme “Every Bird Counts - Your Observations Matter!”, this year’s campaign highlights the power of community and citizen science. From backyard birdwatching to coordinated counts at wetlands, every observation can help scientists better understand migration, track changes in bird populations and identify the places migratory birds need most.

Tomorrow, Saturday, 9 May, join people across the globe in celebrating the incredible journeys of migratory birds and the role we can all play in helping protect them.

Read the full story and learn how to take part in : https://www.cms.int/news/every-bird-counts-world-migratory-bird-day-2026-highlights-how-every-observation-matters

05/09/2026

✅️ Check Before You Move It ✅️
During nesting season, birds don’t just use trees—they’ll nest in anything that’s been sitting undisturbed. Before moving, using, or cleaning outdoor items, always check for nests first.

🪺Common places birds may nest:
🪶 Outdoor furniture (chairs, cushions, umbrellas)
🪶Planters, wreaths, and décor (yes—even hats 👀)
🪶BBQs and patio heaters RVs, trailers, and boats
🪶Garages, sheds, and open storage areas
🪶Vents, eaves, and light fixtures

We’ve seen it all! From American Kestrels brought to us after being found nesting in an ornamental straw hat, to finches nesting in RVs (which is incredibly common).

What to do:
👀 Look carefully before moving anything that’s been stationary
🦜 Watch for repeated bird activity (flying in/out of the same spot)
🪹 If you find a nest, leave it undisturbed until the young have fledged

If you’re unsure about what to do, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for guidance. A quick check can prevent accidental harm and keep wildlife where they belong—being raised safely by their parents.

05/08/2026

Are all of the eggs in the Bird Museum (over one million!) going to hatch some day? Luckily for us – because having to take care of over one million chicks would be a difficult task – all of the eggs we have are actually all empty and are really just eggshells that were kept intact! Egg blowing is how egg collectors kept their eggs from rotting; first, the collector would drill a small hole into the egg with a dentist drill, like seen with this Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) egg, and then, using a blow pipe, would blow air into the small hole. The pressure would force all of the contents out, leaving behind an intact eggshell!