Ornithology
Over 200,000 bird specimens document biodiversity, the history of research and the global context of collecting.
Overview
The bird collection at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin comprises over 200,000 specimens and is one of the largest and most significant collections of its kind in the world. Depending on the taxonomic classification used, it covers between 76 per cent and just under 90 per cent of all extant bird species.
The sub-collection is particularly rich in type specimens (over 5,000 types) as well as historical specimens from notable collectors. Geographical focal points include Brandenburg, South America, and collections from Africa, South-East Asia, New Guinea and other parts of Asia.
The sub-collection includes, amongst other things:
- 120,000 skins
- 12,000 mounted specimens
- 10,000 skeletons
- 1,000 feather specimens
- 5,000 alcohol specimens
- 40,000 clutches
- 2,100 nests
- 730 wing specimens
The mounted specimens are currently part of thespecial exhibition ‘Migratory Birds – A Collection in Motion’. They originate from collections dating back to the 1810s. At that time, the aim of taxidermy was to depict birds as lifelike as possible so that species could be compared on the basis of external characteristics.
Contact
Dr Sylke Frahnert
Scientific Head of Collection
Email: sylke.frahnert@mfn.berlin
Telephone: +49 30 889140-8512
Pascal Eckhoff
Collection Management & Care
Email: Pascal.Eckhoff@mfn.berlin
Telephone: +49 30 889140-8923/8933
Access
Between 80 and 85 per cent of the items have already been digitised (as of 2025). The digitisation process is largely complete, with the exception of:
- parts of the bellows collection
- large parts of the egg collection
- microslides
All other parts of the collection have been fully recorded.
More than 5,000 types have been digitally documented, around 1,000 of which are accessible via GBIF.
The collection data is available for scientific research upon request.
History
The development of the bird collection is closely linked to the work of its curators and directors. The following figures had a particularly significant influence:
- Martin H. C. Lichtenstein (1780–1857)
- Jean L. Cabanis (1816–1906)
- Anton Reichenow (1847–1941)
- Erwin Stresemann (1889–1972)
Cabanis and Stresemann, in particular, established the collection as a centre of ornithological research in Germany.
In 1853, Cabanis founded the Journal für Ornithologie, the oldest ornithological journal still in publication today and the official organ of the German Ornithological Society. Stresemann had a decisive influence on modern ornithology by incorporating genetics, behaviour and anatomy alongside classical systematics. He also established the museum’s ornithological library.
The sub-collection also originated in the context of global research expeditions of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many items originate from colonial contexts, particularly from Africa and Oceania. Major Asian collections were also established during this period. These historical contexts are now part of the scholarly debate on provenance and collection history.
The Second World War caused considerable losses, particularly among mounted specimens. More recently, large parts of the collection have been restored and conserved as part of the museum’s evolution.
Research
Around 100 researchers make use of the bird collection each year. Their work focuses, among other things, on:
- Taxonomy and systematics
- Evolution
- Ecology
- Bionics
- Palaeontology
- Isotope research
One focus is on the scientific cataloguing of historical collections. This includes:
- Compilation of type catalogues
- Reconstruction of collecting expeditions
- Clarification of find and collection data
Current projects, for example, are examining the specimens in the Gustav A. Fischer Collection in collaboration with the Zoological Museum Hamburg.
The research collection also offers unique research opportunities, such as extensive series of embryos and young animals in the wet collection, which enable ontogenetic studies.