#khe100

[deadbirdsdaily]

Condor wing with goose taxidermy for scale!

I think this a Cackling Goose which is closely related to a Canada Goose but slightly smaller, so it might make the wing look a little bigger than it actually is, but it is a very big wing.

I had to skip a week at the museum last week to catch up on class work (and prepping for a conference workshop I’m leading at the end of March!!!), but I finished up the condor today, so more condor content will be forthcoming!

[deadbirdsdaily]

More condor photos with other birds for scale. Other birds are not my preps!

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No.KHE100

California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) wing prep cleaning photos.

Below: left are before removing tendons and muscle, and right are after removing tendons and muscles.

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No.KHE100

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

Bird number 100! Except at my first museum I started with a generic ORN number so really I don’t know exactly how many preps I’ve done… probably closer to 200 but still a very special bird.

They’re necropsied pretty bad and a big bird, so they’re probably going to take a few weeks. Which means I really need to be better at taking photos to keep you entertained.

[deadbirdsdaily]

I love finding the little vestigial claw on bird wings where their thumb would be. I’m not sure if all birds still have it, but Hoatzins can actually use it for climbing as chicks.

It just feels like such tangible evidence of avian evolution, and makes their connection with theropod dinosaurs feel so indisputable. It makes me happy.

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No.KHE100

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

I will have to get a photo with a better sense of scale when it dries. It’s huge.

The gaps are where there are broken feathers

[deadbirdsdaily]

Sewing up the underside of the wing. It really doesn’t need to be very pretty since generally the feathers will cover the incision. This wing is still wet so it doesn’t look as good, but you can look at yesterday’s post to see the fully dry underside.

[deadbirdsdaily]

The California Condor skin fully blow dried and ready for the finishing steps.

I really want to know what happened to their tail…