#khe89

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No. KHE89

The main muscles that power flight are located in the chest of the bird, but thin tendons connect these muscles to control specific motions of the wings. Though a little morbid, during prep, it’s incredibly educational (and maybe fun…) to experiment with which tendons control which movements.

And I think that’s the last pelican post!

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No.KHE89

Brown Pelican (round skin)

Pelecanus occidentalis

For stability and space saving, her neck is curled around her body instead of straight out.

Mesh cloth or cheese cloth is used to hold her tail and lower back against the board so it doesn’t end up floating off the ground which would be less stable. My current museum only had blue sparkly mesh fabric, so she looks quite regal with her toga.

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No. KHE89

Most bird skins just have a single straight stick acting as a backbone to keep them sturdy. To save space in the drawers of the collection, for pelicans, I use a wire to wrap the head around the body.

Here is how that’s constructed. A loop of wire keeps the wire from twisting and then the wire is wrapped tightly, tied down, and glued with super glue to keep it secure.

Then as usual, the whole thing is wrapped in cotton. Though I also tied the cotton down on the neck to keep it around the wire. I’m still working on my technique but this is the happiest I’ve been with it.

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No. KHE89

A short video showing the flexibility of the lower jaw of the pelican which helps them catch and swallow their prey.

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No. KHE89

While all birds have “hollow” bones. Some are more hollow than others. Many birds have marrow in their larger leg and wing bones, but Pelicans are full of air all over and their legs and wings are no exception.

This is a cross-section of the pelican’s humerus, and you can see all the way to the other end because it’s so hollow.

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No. KHE89

This is the back wall of the internal body cavity of the pelican. At the top, you can see that I moved the digestive track out of the way so you can see the gonads (reproductive track).

This pelican was a female so you can see her ovary (circled in blue) with all the little spheres being ova (eggs). The arrow points to her oviduct (the track eggs travel down when laying). You can see that it’s kinked repeatedly. This makes it a “convoluted oviduct” indicating that she’s laid eggs in her lifetime.

Most female birds only have one ovary, the left one. They have both in early development, but shortly after hatching (if not before, but day old geese still have two) one is absorbed. Some birds, including many raptors keep both.

[deadbirdsdaily]

Prep No.KHE89

Pelicans are full of air! They have a unique spongy padding of air bubbles under their skin that besides being an excellent ASMR experience (see video below the break) helps keep their large bodies buoyant in the water (Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, 1990).

Brown Pelicans like this female are the only species of Pelican that plunge dive and this additional padding may help protect their silly gangly bodies when crashing into the water (Richardson, 1939).

Note: I prepare most avian specimens without gloves. It improves my dexterity and makes it significantly easier. In general, dead birds are not dangerous, and dead animals as a whole are less likely to spread disease than living animals. Also more closely related animals are easier to contract disease from, so I would not recommend preparing a primate without gloves. Though I will avoid preparing with open cuts on my hands, and always make sure to wash my hands well afterwards, I feel very safe prepping birds barehanded.

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Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 1, Ratites to Ducks. Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.J. (Coordinators). Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. 1990. pp. 737–38. ISBN 0-19-553068-3.

Richardson, Frank (1939). "Functional Aspects of the Pneumatic System of the California Brown Pelican" (PDF). The Condor. 41 (1): 13–17. doi:10.2307/1364267. JSTOR 1364267. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2013.