SERC Evening Lecture Series

When Birds Collide—Examining Feather Clues to Solve Bird Strike Mysteries

Dr. Carla Dove, National Museum of Natural History

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 17^th

Light Refreshments 6:30 pm, Lecture 7-8 pm

Meet at the Schmidt Center

(PDF attached)

Each year bird-aircraft collisions (bird strikes) cause millions of dollars in damage to both civil and military aviation. Since 1990, 172 people have been killed and 176 aircraft have been destroyed as a result of bird strikes, making this a serious human health and safety issue.  Knowing the species of birds that cause damage is a fundamental step in bird strike prevention. 

The Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab has been identifying birds from these events using techniques of microscopy, DNA, and whole feather analysis for more than 50 years. This presentation will describe the methods used in feather identification process and other research and applied uses of this skill. 

Karen S. McDonald

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