Our bird collection, almost entirely from Africa, contains more than 150,000 bird specimens, including bellows, alcohol-preserved specimens, stuffed birds and skeletons, as well as eggs and bird nests.
The first bird specimens in our ornithology collection date back to 1897, but it was not until the 1910s-1920s, when Belgian zoologist Henri Schouteden started working in the scientific services at the Royal Museum for Central Africa, that bird records such as the ones we display here were created.
This collection also includes bird nests. A bird's nest is a nesting place for birds. Nest material is gathered with organic material from the environment, such as plant fibres, leaves, twigs, grasses... so that it is a safe place to lay eggs and raise chicks. Each bird species uses different materials and techniques to build nests. Some turn it into a real work of art! Just think of the weavers.
These records have now been digitised because they contain valuable information about our ornithological collection (localities, collectors, special sightings, etc.), which can be added to our digital databases, which can be used for scientific research.
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