Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre

Birds are the soundtrack to our mornings, they soar through our skies and swoop around our streets, but how well do we really know our feathered friends?

A hoot for all the family, our new exhibition invites you into their world like never before! Swirl around with a murmuration, chirp along with the dawn chorus and see if you have the stomach to sniff a stinky seabird egg. From feeling their heartbeats to seeing through their eyes, get to know our beaked buddies better.

Meet the oldest modern bird in the world the so-called wonderchicken, find out what a pigeon has in common with a ferocious T. rex and discover how these winged wonders managed to survive the mass extinction that wiped out all the other dinosaurs.

Today there’s more than 11,000 species. From pigeons to penguins, ostriches to ospreys, birds live on every single continent on Earth, so what’s the secret to their success? From sucking blood to bathing in acid, our feathered friends have found surprising, clever and downright freaky ways to survive.

But the way we live our lives is beginning to affect how they live theirs. As the effects of a changing world come home to roost, can we find a way to take them under our wing and create a future where they can soar once more?

Exhibition supported by Associate Donor

In affiliation with

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They’re the chirpy crumb cleaners of our pavements and the inspiration for many of our favourite sayings, but how well do we really know our feathered friends?

From penguins at the poles to ospreys over the oceans, birds are literally everywhere! But how did they come to rule the roost?

Packed with specimens from the world’s biggest bird collection, our new exhibition explores their epic evolutionary story. From surviving the mass extinction that wiped out all the other dinosaurs to evolving into the more than 11,000 species alive today, we’ll delve into the secrets of their success.

Whether it’s sucking blood or bathing in acid, they’ve found surprising and frankly shocking ways to survive on every continent on Earth. Join us and immerse yourself in their brilliant and bizarre lives. Step into a swirling murmuration, lose yourself in the dawn chorus and find out if you could be outwitted by a raven.

Plus, see the world – a changing world – through their eyes with our UV experience. With many species now being affected by the way we live our lives, discover if there’s a way we can help these remarkable creatures to soar once more.

Exhibition supported by Associate Donor

In affiliation with

Find out more

Birds may have been around for millions of years and inhabit every continent on Earth, but these remarkable creatures still hold many secrets.

Featuring more than 120 specimens from one of the most important bird collections in the world, our new exhibition tells their incredible story like never before. From surviving the mass extinction that wiped out all the other dinosaurs to their evolution into the more than 11,000 species alive today, we delve into the secrets of their success.

From intriguing behaviours to brilliant survival tactics, we invite you into their fascinating lives. Step into a swirling starling murmuration, be immersed in the dawn chorus and uncover corvid intelligence.

Through extraordinary fossils and exquisite specimens, including a genuine auk egg, we’ll look not only into their past but also to their future. With the pressures of our rapidly changing world affecting many species, is there a way we can help them to thrive again?

Exhibition supported by Associate Donor

In affiliation with

Find out more

Birds events coming up

Experience Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre at one of our unique events bringing you closer to the exhibition. All events below include entry to the exhibition.