Bird Skeletons~Bird Bones Cleaning & Articulation~Bones~Skeletons

THE BIRD BUILDING BOOK
A Manual for Preparing Bird Skeletons
with
A Bone Identification Guide
Vol. 5

In a way, this is two manuals bound
together. The first part is the step by step
instructions on preparing and articulating
a large bird skeleton with a section on a
VERY large bird ~ ie., Big Bird ~ ie., an
Emu. The skeleton used for illustration is
mostly an eagle skeleton but the
techniques are the same for anything the
size of (or larger than) a chicken or a
raven--a good classroom project. The
second part of the manual is a detailed
guide to the bones of a bird with enough
labeling and detail to be able to sort a
pile of bird bones into the skeletal
elements, including which side of the bird
each bone came from. This is very helpful
information for zoo archaeology students
who are working with bird bones. (89 pages)

$34
(plus shipping)

(Manuals are 8.5 X 11 inches, soft bound with spiral binding.)

click on pages to enlarge

PROMISING NEW CLEANING METHOD
FOUND IN THE SMALL MAMMAL MANUAL
AND FEATURED IN THE BONE BUILDER'S NOTEBOOK

For small mammals and birds we've been working on a new technique that may be a good
alternative to beetles for preparing small skeletons.

Someone was quick to point out that it is unlikely that this is really a new technique, as people
have been working with skeleton cleaning for a couple hundred years. However, I have never
seen anything in print on this technique and one of the main ingredients (concentrated
hydrogen peroxide) wasn't produced much before WWII even though it had been first
discovered in the 1880's.

The process uses concentrated hydrogen peroxide to oxidize flesh. This so far involves
soaking small animal carcasses in a strong ammonia solution for ten days and then in baths
of 15-20% hydrogen peroxide solution until the flesh is gone, but before the bones become
disarticulated. The articulated skeleton is then removed and posed until it dries. Experiments
as to the exact steps, times and limitations are still being conducted. I will add details here as
the process gets fine-tuned.

The major advantage, if this works, is being able to prepare very small skeletons without
using environmentally hazardous chemicals or having to deal with the nauseating smells of
decay.

There is a brief write-up about this method in the Small Mammals Manual, and a more
complete write-up in the Bone Builder's Notebook.

Here's my first skeleton prepared by this method; a Northern Saw-whet Owl. The entire
skeleton weighs 5 grams, the same weight as an American 5 cent piece.

Big Bird

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