Ornithology Collections: Specimen Donation and Tracking
Collection Manager: Susan Hochgraf
Office: BioPhysics 127
Office Phone: 486-8945
Email: susan.hochgraf@uconn.edu
Preparators: Alejandro Rico Guevara, Jorge deLeon, Margaret Rubega
What To Do If You Find a Dead Bird, and Want to Donate It to the UConn Research Collection
Our collection of bird skins, tissues and bones is currently growing largely through salvage: we accept birds found dead by members of the public. These specimens add to the "library of birdlife" we maintain. Your donations make it possible for future researchers to investigate the bird populations of Connecticut.
If you find a dead bird, the very first thing to do is to determine if it is fresh enough to make a useful specimen. A bird that hasn't been dead for long will be round, not flattened or sagging; the eyes will be full and still moist; the feathers will not fall out when you handle the bird; the body will not smell. In contrast, a specimen that has already begun to decay will be collapsed, and may be oozing fluids; the eyes will be sunken and dry-looking; the feathers will be loosely attached and fall out easily when tugged, or when you handle the bird; there may be insects (ants, maggots) on or in the specimen; and the body will smell bad.
Specimens showing advanced signs of decay are best left where they are. Specimens in good condition should be sealed in a plastic bag (a ziploc with the air squeezed out of it is ideal) with a note containing the following information: your name and contact information; the location (at least town) where the bird was found; the date; and any information you may have about the bird (e.g., how it died - "Hit a window"). If you have the means to measure the bird's weight at the time you picked it up, that information is also very helpful. Once the bird is sealed in a plastic bag, PUT IT IN THE FREEZER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Freezing the body arrests the process of decay, and maximizes the likelihood we can prepare the specimen in a way that will preserve it.
The collection manager works part time (one day per week); she is in the collection on Thursdays. Accordingly, Thursdays are the best days to bring a specimen you wish to donate to the collection. You can call the manager at 860-486-8945 to ensure that someone will be present to take the specimen from you at the time you are due to arrive. If you cannot bring your donation by on a Thursday, contact someone in the Rubega lab at 486-3839 or 486-0309 to arrange a meeting to drop the specimen off.
Inventory of Donated Specimens
(as specimens are prepared, they will move off this list and onto the collection database )
| Date Donated | Common name | Species | Prep Priority Score | Condition / Comments | Data | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-May-08 | Bird | undet. Aves | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 24-Mar-08 | Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperi | 1 | good | yes | Frozen |
| 22-Dec-07 | Canada Goose | Branta canadensis | 1 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 3-Apr-07 | Northern Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | 3 | good | yes | Frozen |
| 22-Jan-07 | Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | 3 | good | yes | Frozen |
| 15-Aug-06 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 15-Aug-06 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 30-Jun-06 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 30-Jun-06 | Wood Thrush | Hylocichla mustelina | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 1-Jun-06 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 23-May-06 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 23-May-06 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 23-May-06 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 14-Oct-05 | Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | 1 | good | yes | Frozen |
| 9-Oct-05 | Scarlet Tanager | Piranga olivacea | 2 | xgood | yes | Frozen |
| 30-Sep-05 | imm. Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | 3 | good | yes | Frozen |
| 2004-2005 | Ruffed Grouse | Bonasa umbellus | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 10-Dec-04 | Titmouse | Baeolophus bicolor? | 2 | good | yes | Frozen |
| 21-Sep-04 | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus | 3 | good | loc. | Drying |
| 2-Aug-04 | Red-Bellied Woodpecker | Melanerpes carolinus | 1 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 18-May-04 | Rose Breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus | 3 | good/excellent | loc. | Drying |
| 13-Apr-03 | White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | 2 | good | - | Frozen |
| 7-Jun-02 | undet. Passerine | undet. Passerine | 3 | xgood | yes | Frozen |
| 29-May-02 | Northern Waterthrush | Seiurus noveboracensis | 1 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 10-May-02 | Ruffed Grouse | Bonasa umbellus | 3 | xgood | loc. | Frozen |
| 20-Apr-02 | Wren (carolina?) | Thryothorus ludovicianus | 1 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 17-Mar-02 | Ruffed Grouse | Bonasa umbellus | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 9-Sep-01 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | loc. | Drying |
| 2-Sep-01 | Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | 3 | good | loc. | Drying |
| 5-Aug-01 | Black-capped Chickadee | Poecile atricapillus | 2 | good | yes | Frozen |
| 25-Jul-01 | Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | 2 | xgood | loc. | Frozen |
| 9-Jun-01 | Scarlet Tanager | Piranga olivacea | 2 | good | loc. | Drying |
| 8-May-01 | Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus | 2 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 5-May-01 | Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | 1 | good | loc. | Drying |
| Fall 2000 | Black-throated Green Warbler | Dendroica virens | 1 | good | loc. | Drying |
| 26-Oct-00 | Sparrow | undet. Passeridae | 3 | good | - | Drying |
| 3-Jul-00 | Warbler | undet. Passeri | 3 | fair | loc. | Frozen |
| 13-Jun-00 | Eastern Screech Owl | Megascops asio | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 26-Apr-00 | Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | 2 | good | loc. | Drying |
| 22-Jan-00 | Chickadee | Poecile atricapillus | 2 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 26-Dec-99 | Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | 2 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 9-Sep-99 | Eastern Screech Owl | Megascops asio | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 10-Sep-97 | Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 3 | good | - | Drying |
| 2-Jun-94 | Redpoll | Carduelis sp. | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 31-Dec-93 | Sharp Shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| 7/13/* | Thrush? | undet. Turdidae | 3 | good | yes | Drying |
| - | Green Winged Teal | Anas carolinensis | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Black throated Blue Warbler | Dendroica caerulescens | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Black and White Warbler | Mniotilta varia | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Northern Parula | Parula americana | 1 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| - | Northern Waterthrush | Seiurus noveboracensis | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Ring-necked Dove | Streptopelia capicola | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Wren (carolina?) | Thryothorus ludovicianus | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Red-eyed Vireo | Vireo olivaceus | 1 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| - | Yellow Billed Sandpiper | Yellow Billed Sandpiper | 1 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Owl (Grt. Horned?) | Bubo virginianus | 2 | fair | - | Frozen |
| - | Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | 2 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia | 2 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus | 2 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| - | Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus | 2 | good | - | Drying |
| - | Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus | 2 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Sharp Shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | 3 | xgood | - | Frozen |
| - | Sharp Shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Aves | Aves | 3 | no skin/no head | - | Frozen |
| - | Aves | Aves | 3 | no skin | - | Frozen |
| - | Aves | Aves | 3 | no skin/no head | - | Frozen |
| - | Aves | Aves | 3 | no skin/no head | - | Frozen |
| - | Aves | Aves | 3 | no skin/no head | - | Frozen |
| - | Aves | Aves | 3 | no skin/no head | - | Frozen |
| - | Aves | Aves | 3 | no skin/no head | - | Frozen |
| - | Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | 3 | skin only fair | - | Frozen |
| - | Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Cedar Waxwing (x9) | Bombycilla cedrorum (x9) | 3 | good/excellent | - | Frozen |
| - | Red Tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Red Tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis | 3 | good | loc. | Frozen |
| - | Warbler sp. | Dendroica sp. | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Screech Owl | Megascops sp. | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Screech Owl | Megascops sp. | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Rose Breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Peep? | undet. Charadiiformes | 3 | fair/poor | - | Frozen |
| - | Hawk/Falcon | undet. Falconiformes | 3 | skin only fair | - | Frozen |
| - | Hawk/Falcon | undet. Falconiformes | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Gull sp. | undet. Laridae | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
| - | Thrush? | undet. Turdidae | 3 | good | - | Frozen |
