This episode is all about forensic ornithology. This is a field where specialists use scientific techniques to identify bird species from trace evidence. Evidence like maybe a bit of feather, a bone fragment, or a smear of blood.

Forensic ornithology is used to solve intriguing wildlife crimes like smuggling and illegal hunting. But it’s also helpful in other situations that don’t involve criminal activity. We’ll get into that side of things too.

Like a murder mystery novel, today’s subject is, pretty much by definition, morbid. I’ll be talking a lot about dead birds. Blood and guts and all that. I prefer my birds very much alive, thank you, and I’m sure you do too. But, despite the gore, I think you’ll find that forensic ornithology is a fascinating topic. It’s worth learning about, to better appreciate the ways people fight to protect birds.

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Links of Interest

• Chuparosa article
• The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne
• US Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab
• Forensic Ornithologist: Pepper Trail
• Forensic Ornithologist: Ariel M. Gaffney
• Podcast Episode: Ariel Gaffney, "Bird Crime Fighter"
• The Feather Atlas
• Feather Identification Lab at Smithsonian
• [VIDEO] It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's SNARGE!

Errors and Corrections

• 10:32 - I said " Law enforcement offers..." when I meant "officers."
• 32:55 - I said "Yellow-billed Cockatoos," when I meant Yellow-crested Cockatoos

Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website

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