Fossil bird collections
Skeleton of the extinct Raphus cucullatus (dodo). Collected during the 1860s from the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Collections include Archaeopteryx, large flightless birds (ratites), and recently extinct species such as the dodo.
Details
Geological range:
Late Jurassic to Pleistocene
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Archaeopteryx
Learn more about the Archaeopteryx specimen cared for by the Museum, and why it is so important.
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Ratites
Richard Owen was able to deduce the existence of large flightless birds, moas, from a fragment of long bone in the Museum's collections. Discover what other ratite material is in the fossil bird collection.
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Cenozoic birds
Read about fossil bird material in the collection from the Eocene, Miocene and Pleistocene. The latter makes up more than half of the collection.