To give in support of the Texas Ornithological Research Fund, which was established to develop sufficient resources to allow us to continue to build the Collection of Birds at the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections to benefit the public, State and University aspects of our mission; Click here.
The Collection of Birds at the BRTC contains over 35,000 specimens from 59 countries. Holdings include representatives of 1,951 species, 866 genera, and 165 families. The majority of specimens are prepared as skins; however, the collections include nearly 1,500 skeletons, 300 fluid preserved specimens, 400 egg sets and 6000 wings. The Collection also maintains a rapidly growing collection of tissues (over 17,000), blood samples, ectoparasites and endoparasites associated with voucher specimens. Specimen records may be accessed through VertNet. The genetic material for our specimens is curated in parallel and stored in ultra-cold freezers and is also available to researchers by request. To search for specimens with associated tissues, visit the Global Genomic Biodiversity Network portal. Our loan policy is available here.
Research projects by faculty, students and staff at Texas A&M University have provided, and continue to provide, most of the material in this collection. However, the collection has grown through acquisition of the ornithology collections of Austin College, Southern Methodist University, Midwestern University and the University of North Texas. Historic and modern collections from the National Parks System (Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Padre Island National Seashore) also contribute to the growth of the collection. Recent international expeditions to Armenia, Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy and South Africa have increased the number of species and geographic diversity represented in the collection. Collections are continuing to meet the needs of researchers in an increasing number of fields of study. They are used for answering important questions about birds and our shared environment, and provide a broad benefit to the management and conservation of birds.
In late 2020, the BRTC Collection of Birds engaged in a collaboration to promote a statewide effort to promote dark buildings during peak bird migration, to prevent birds from being lured to city centers where they are prone to collide with windows. The statewide approach includes educating business owners and city managers about the importance of bird friendly design, dimming non-essential lighting, and engaging with volunteers at the local level to conduct surveys to document bird strikes. Casualties that are found on survey routes become specimens at the BRTC, where they can then be used in a variety of research projects. Importantly, these specimens are also used as supporting data to identify where bird-friendly design is most needed. Through this project, the BRTC Collection of Birds has engaged with concerned students, faculty and staff that are collectively working to make changes on our campus. Read more about those efforts here.
The Collection of Birds is willing and able to care for all types of collections. If you collect specimens as part of your research and cannot or do not wish to adequately care for them in the long term, please consider the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections as a repository. We gratefully accept such specimens provided they are accompanied by proper documentation and permits (USDA, USFWS, CITES, STATE).
Recent Publications
Nasuelli, M., G. Boano, T. Albayrak, M. Cucco, A. Galimberti, L. Ilahiane, A. Kirschel, F. Mignone, M. Moysi, M. Pavia, F. Recco, G. Voelker and I. Pellegrino. 2025. Integrating mitochondrial, genomic and species distribution model approaches in the reconstruction of the Sardinian Warbler (Curruca melanocephala) phylogeography. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17512012
Voelker, G., G.O.U. Wogan, J.W. Huntley, P.M. Kaliba, D.H. de Swardt and R.C.K. Bowie. 2025. Climate-cycling did not affect haplotype distribution in an abundant Southern African avian habitat generalist species, the Familiar Chat (Oenanthe familiaris). Integrative Zoology 20:595-607.
Voelker, G., M. Ortega, M. Sanchez, K.D. Keith, E.A. Koblik, A.V. Bushuev, A.B. Kerimov, N. Van Linh and S.V. Drovetski. 2025. High endemism of haemosporidian lineages in a southern Vietnam avian community. Diversity (Special Issue on Bird Parasites, Vol. 3) 17: 568. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080568
Weesner, R.M., S.V. Drovetski, S.A. Aghayan and G. Voelker. 2025. Haemosporidian infections in three sympatric Phylloscopus species: Does host or environment determine parasite prevalence? https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-025-02345-6
Wells, K., J.A. Bell, A. Fecchio, S.V. Drovetski, V. Ellis, S. Galen, S. Hackett, H. Lutz, H.R. Skeen, G. Voelker, W. Wamiti, J. Weckstein and N.J. Clark. 2025. Parasite abundance-occupancy relationships across biogeographic regions: joint effects of niche breadth, host availability and climate. Journal of Biogeography 52:55-65.
