Bird Study

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A time-saving method of preserving bird bodies

C. J. O. Harrison

To cite this article: C. J. O. Harrison (1980) A time-saving method of preserving bird bodies, Bird
Study, 27:4, 259-261, DOI: 10.1080/00063658009476689

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A TIME-SAVING METHOD OF PRESERVING

A METHOD IS DESCRIBED HERE for preserving bodies of dead birds so that they may be
used for further study. It is not intended that it should be a replacement for existing
techniques used in preserving birds for museum study (Harrison and Cowles 1970), but
only as a possible aid to those who find themselves in possession of bird bodies at intervals
(such as bird observatories) and wish to preserve them for further study by themselves or
others, but have neither the time nor knowledge to cope with more elaborate methods.
It is simple, consisting of a single short injection of the various parts of the body
followed by a gradual drying-out with little further attention, and has the advantage of
preserving both the plumage in a suitable state for comparison with museum skins, and
the skeleton and body structure, although the last is desiccated and somewhat shrunken.
There has been an increasing tendency to return to the study of the internal structure of
birds for use in taxonomy as well as comparative physiology, and while collections of
study skins are available there is often cause to regret the loss of the skeletons and carcases
discarded in the process.
In the early 1960s, when different techniques of bird preservation were being
considered, this method was tested on a random series of bird carcases. The specimens
have been re-examined after an interval of 16 years and the state of preservation appears
to justify a recommendation of the method. The specimens which happened to be
available at the time were Woodpigeon Columba palumbus, Jackdaw Corvus monedula,
Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Blue -headed Waxbill Uraegin thus cyano-
cephalus and Goldcrest Regulus regulus.
A formalin-based solution was used, which is a slightly improved form of the
Kaiserling no. 1 solution using the Pick-Judah modification (Mahoney 1968). This is
made up as follows:
Commercial formalin (40% formaldehyde) 400 cc.
Potassium acetate 42.5 gms.
Potassium nitrate 22.5 gms.
Water 1,600 cc.
In preparation the two potassium compounds, which are in the form of crystalline
powders, are mixed with a little of the water, warmed until they dissolve, and then added
to the main solution. This makes up about two litres. Once made up the solution will keep,
but there may be some precipitation and the liquid may need shaking up before use.
The essential simplicity of the technique lies in the fact that it involves injection of the
specimen which takes only a minute or two, after which occasional checks on condition
are all that are absolutely necessary. The specimen is injected from a hypodermic syringe
filled with solution. In muscular parts the needle is thrust well into the muscle and then
drawn back slightly, and the part being injected is held lightly between the fingers. As the
syringe plunger is pressed down a slight distension can be felt, indicating that the injection
is taking place. Injections are made into the muscles of either side of the breast, in the legs,
and in the wings (which are best tackled from the underside). In all but small birds the
areas of muscle in the hollows on either side of the lower back (bordering the anterior end
of the pelvis) are also injected, and the upper back in the region of the scapulars. An
injection is made into the cranial cavity of the skull by inserting the needle up through the
throat and roof of the mouth. The chest cavity is injected via the hollow at the base of the
Bird Study 27: 259-261, December 1980
260 BIRD STUDY

neck, in the angle of the furcula or wishbone. The abdominal cavity is injected through the
belly wall, injection continuing until there is a visible slight distension.
Then the specimen is laid on its back and checked for any overflow of Kaiserling
solution onto the plumage. Any present should be swabbed away or washed off. If
allowed to remain it will make the feathers sticky and hard, and dry a darker tint than the
surrounding plumage. The idea is to let the solution permeate the body tissues and then
allow the specimen to dry. The solution prevents decay. It may also arrest it to some
extent and, in a specimen on which surface decay had commenced and the feathers were
'slipping' from the skin, this was stopped by injection at a stage at which a plumage
specimen could not otherwise have been saved. The solution also deters insects, and it was
found that blowflies did not attack the carcases: the Woodpigeon did not receive an
injection on one side of the breast and the muscle was destroyed by fly larvae in this area
while the rest of the carcase was untouched.
The specimen need only be checked occasionally to ensure that it is in the required
position as it dries. It is useful to allow this to occur with one wing held a little away from
the body, to make measuring easier. With these specimens, when dry, it is more difficult to
ease the wings away from the body than in the more flexible museum skins. However,
they are better in this respect than freeze-dried speciments in which wings may snap off
completely when flexed, because of the brittleness created by that drying technique.
The birds used for the experiment were simply left to dry on indoor windowsills or
benches where they were in little danger of disturbance. Where there might be problems of
insect attack on plumage, or the drying horny parts of legs and bills, it might be better to
wrap the bird in paper, thin tissue or cloth, and let it dry in store; but a more frequent
examination would probably be advisable. Once dry, specimens can be boxed like
museum skins, the main danger being attack by moths or mites on the feathers so that the
addition of some general deterrant or insecticide is necessary.
The specimens used were prepared in reasonably dry temperate conditions and there
might be problems in using this method in regions of very high humidity, where some
form of artificial heating and drying might be needed in order to achieve the desired effect.
It must also be added that the birds used did not include any fatty specimens. Birds such as
ducks have a fat layer beneath the skin, and other species may have thinner but similar
layers when building up fat at the onset of migration or winter. It is not known what effect
this would have on the method described here, nor on long-term preservation of such
bodies. Certainly, if fat is not removed from conventionally-prepared museum skins it
causes deterioration over a long period.
The most obvious problem which affects specimens prepared by the method described
is shrinkage during drying. This affects mainly eyes, neck and belly. In the neck it can be
overcome to some extent by stuffing wads of cottonwool or similar material soaked in
solution into the gullet and throat when preparing the specimen, or before it has dried.
This can be moulded if necessary to produce a desired shape. The eyeballs shrink into the
head as they dry and the skin around them becomes sunken. After shrinkage has
commenced a small pad of cottonwool may be inserted over the eye and tucked beneath
the lids to fill out this area, producing an effect similar to that on museum skins where the
whole eyesocket is filled with cottonwool.
The most difficult area of shrinkage is the belly region. The pubic bone prevents the
sides being drawn in but the area between the hind border of the sternum and the tail, the
whole central belly region, shrinks. This results in the pygostyle with tail attached being
pulled ventrally towards the belly, displacing the whole tail towards the legs. If the legs
 SHORT NOTES 261
have been arranged to lie along the underside of the tail, or are crossed and tied as in a
typical museum skin, then gradually the tail is pulled against the feet, and tail feathers and
feet become entangled. To avoid this, the simplest way is to allow the legs to dry lying on
either side of the tail so that the latter may be pulled forwards between them and finish
slightly anterior to them without damage. The only alternative method tried was that of
waiting until some drying had occurred, then cutting across the skin of the belly, allowing
this to shrink back to some extent, and filling the cavity with cottonwool or leaving it to be
partly concealed by the overlapping belly feathers.
One further point, which preferably should not be left to the last, is the labelling of the
specimen with locality, date of acquisition, species if known, sex if determined, and
colour of legs, eyes, and areas of bare skin. The method of preservation should also be
indicated on the label.

REFERENCES
and G. S. COWLES. 1970. Instructions for collectors. No. 2,4: Birds. London: British Museum
HARRISON, C..I. 0.
(Natural History).
MAHONEY, R. 1968. Laboratory Techniques in Zoology. London.

Dr C. J. 0. Harrison, Sub-department of Ornithology, British Museum (Natural

(MS. received 24 January 1980)