Collections

Libraries and archives aren’t the only way history can be recorded. At natural history museums, vast collections that store plants and animals can tell us about what life was like when a particular specimen was collected.

Natural history collections help scientists keep a detailed record of the natural world, how it has transformed over time, and how those species may have adapted (or not adapted) to their ever-changing environment.

Our ornithology collection stores just under 53,000 bird specimens and is one of the most important resources on the birdspecies of western North America—it's kind of a big deal.

The collection is actively used in science, from loaning out specimens for research, to telling us how to best protect wildlife, to helping us create invaluable resources like the San Diego County Bird Atlas.

To explore our collections, please visit VertNet or iDigBio (institution code: SDNHM). For the most up to date information or in case those sites are down, contact the Ornithology department by using our contact form under “research”.

A Brief History of the Ornithology Collection

Prior to 2026, the Department of Ornithology and the Department of Mammalogy were combined, and their histories are therefore intimately connected. Early pioneers of natural history research at the Museumcontributed equally to both disciplines. What follows is an overview of the individualswhose collecting and scholarship shaped the foundation of the mammal collection.

Our collection began over 115 years ago, when pioneer naturalist Frank Stephens donated his personal collection to the Museum in 1910. Frank’s donation was the nucleus from which the current bird and mammal collection has grown, eventually becoming an indispensable resource for our region’s natural history. Today, our collection houses specimens that are almost 150 years old!

Stephens was also a mentor to Laurence Huey, who became the single largest contributor to our bird and mammal collection. The two met in a fateful encounter when, at 15 years old, Huey burst into Stephens’ campsite in Bonita with a shotgun. After being greeted with a simple “Hello, come in,” Huey was immediately fascinated by several trays of bird and mammal specimens that were being prepared—he never looked back.

Although contributions to the bird and mammal collection are usually in the form of physical specimens, valuable notes and accounts are also a key part of the natural history of our region. For example, ornithologist Clinton Abbot was not a collector but wrote an article in the 1930s about burrowing owls, foreseeing their ultimate disappearance.

With over a century of research and collecting, the birds and mammals department has had dozens of scientists and naturalists pass through its doors, and with them, significant contributions to the field.

From banker Joseph Sefton’s avid seabird collecting, to Stanley Jewett’s contribution of 13,000 specimens, to Guy McCaskie’s discovery of birds’ patterns of vagrancy to California, to Dick Banks’ critical bat and rodent surveys of Anza-Borrego, to Joe Jehl’s landmark research on the effects of DDT on bird eggshells, to Suzanne Bond’s mastery of specimen preparation—these are only some of the people who have shaped the department, its history, and the invaluable science that has come out of it.

Historic field notes of Stephens, Huey, and other bird and mammal collectors are available on the Internet Archive. To learn more about the current staff of the Birds and Mammals department, click here.

Use Policy

The Department of Ornithology makes its collections available to all responsible users. All users must make an appointment with Phil Unitt, Curator, at 619.255.0235, or birds@sdnhm.org. Fees for commercial use of the collections are $100 for the first 2 hours, $200 for four hours, and $400 for all-day use.