Summary

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!

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References

• Quantification of microscopic feather characters used in the identification of North American plovers
• Stable isotope analysis as a tool to detect illegal trade in critically endangered cockatoos
• Avian Mortality at Oil Pits in the United States- A Review of the Problem and Efforts for Its Solution
• Migratory Canada Geese Cause Crash of US Airways Flight 1549
• Forensic Techniques Identify the First Record of Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) Feeding on a Razorbill (Alca torda)
• Identification of bird species used to make a Viking Age feather pillow

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Photos of Some Species Mentioned

Attributions

• Canada Goose sounds (Xeno Canto recordings XC62259)

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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