Ornithology Labs

In addition to several labs devoted to the internal/external structures peculiar to birds and one lab outlining methods for aging and sexing birds, we will conduct a brief survey of many groups of the birds of the world. These labs include a large number of handouts. Please purchase a notebook in which to organize them and bring it (and your field guides) to every indoor lab session. For these BOW labs we expect you to:

1. Know the orders, families, subfamilies, and a select number of Illinois genera as presented in lab.
2. Be able to place representative specimens into their appropriate taxonomic groups.
3. Know the general ecology and natural history (i.e., distribution, habitat associations, and breeding ecology) for each family and selected Illinois species as presented in labs.
4. Be able to identify (using common names and, in some cases, genera) selected breeding and migratory birds that occur in Illinois. You do not need to know the common names of specimens encountered in the lab if they don't occur in Illinois.

You will learn the songs of approximately 100 common Illinois birds. We will listen to tape recordings of these songs prior to each BOW lab (there are seven song lessons in all) and tapes/CDs will be made available for dubbing purposes.
      Following the final lab practical our class sessions will meet exclusively in the field. In addition to observing migratory birds on these trips, we will introduce you to population monitoring techniques by censusing bird communities, capturing and banding birds, and searching for nests. You will not be tested on this material except insofar as it assists your identification skills in preparation for the field practical.

Handling Scientific Study Skins

Many of the specimens in the Vivarium collection are very old; some date from the 19th century. Because of modern conservation ethics it is increasingly difficult or impossible to replace many of these specimens. Heavy use in several courses has taken its toll and many specimens are, at best, of marginal quality. Please heed the following rules so that future students may use and appreciate this collection.

• Handle mounted specimens by their bases only. There should be no need to touch the specimen itself.
• Handle museum skins carefully. Do not pick them up by the bills, heads, feet, wing, or tail. Replace them backside down.
• If you wish to examine a characteristic of a specimen that can be seen only when the wings or tails are opened, do not manipulate the specimen yourself - always ask a T.A.
• Do not stand specimens in tubes on end because this damages the head or tail. Always lay the tube down flat.
• Be very careful with the specimens' legs: do not let legs dangle off of the lab benches or while you are holding the specimens, and be sure that your specimen's tags are not tangled with those of other specimens when you pick it up.