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Eagle-eyed experts assess museum bird collection

Leeds Museums and Galleries A picture of a dead emperor peguin stored at a museum. Stood next to the penguin is a female member of museum staff who is cleaning the penguin's beak with a brush. In the background are vases and other items kept in the museum store. Leeds Museums and Galleries
The collection in Leeds includes albatross, ostrich and emperor penguin

A collection of some of the world's largest birds has received an eagle-eyed check by museum experts in Leeds.

Each more than a century old, the taxidermied feathered friends have been cleaned, measured and assessed by curators at the city's Discovery Centre.

The collection includes a wandering albatross displayed behind Victorian glass to showcase its wingspan and the towering skeleton of an ostrich.

The birds form part of a wider collection of thousands of animals at the centre, with many collected in the 1800s by wealthy industrialists.

Leeds Museums and Galleries A picture of a dead albatross in a display case. The dark-coloured bird is shown with its wings spread and large beak. Leeds Museums and Galleries
The huge wingspan of a wandering albatross is displayed behind glass

"If you were man in Leeds showing off how wealthy and interested in science you were, then you would commission people to send you animals from around the world," said Clare Brown, of Leeds Museums and Galleries.

The biggest avian species in the Discovery Centre is the skeletal remains of a moa.

Standing as tall as 12ft (3.6m), the wingless birds were once found across New Zealand but were hunted to extinction about 700 years ago.

Ms Brown, a curator of natural sciences, said: "I spend a lot of my time fighting clothes moths.

"We want to make sure that anything that likes eating museum specimens is not involved in museum specimens."

Staff took measurements of its albatross during the work, with the specimen carrying a wingspan of 9.8ft (3m) despite only being a juvenile.

The albatross has the longest wingspan of any bird alive today.

Leeds Museums and Galleries A picture showing the skeletal remains of a ostrich in a museum store. Next to the ostrich is a female member of staff wearing glasses and stood on some step ladders. She is cleaning the head of the skeleton with a brush. In the background are shelves filled with items stored in a museum. Leeds Museums and Galleries
The skeleton of an adult ostrich was also cleaned by experts

A mounted emperor penguin was also given attention, along with the skeleton of a fully-grown ostrich - the world's largest bird.

Ms Brown said the collection was available for the public to view, but also served as an important resource for scientists.

"Everything we have is a really good indication of what the world should look like and how we should be protecting the environment," she said.

"We have some wonderful things for visitors to look at, but it's great for scientists to do some proper interrogation."

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