"A Peep Show of Birds"

In 1874, F W Hutton, the first curator of this museum, was organising an exchange of specimens with John Edward Gray of the London Natural History Museum. In his letter of exchange, Hutton listed the numerous specimens and type specimens that he was sending to the NHM. In return for them, he was specific in asking for sponges, corals, echinoderms, crustacea, reptiles, fishes and mammals. Birds, you may have noticed, did not make the list. Hutton specifically stated in his letter that he did not want Otago Museum to be a “peep show of birds”.

Even though Hutton was determined to build a more balanced teaching collection for the Museum, the avian collections are a strength. They are not only rich in local and native species but consist of birds from all over the world, thanks to the curators of the past obtaining specimens from dealers, collectors, and traders.

Here we present to you a peep show of birds, some highlights of the avian collections that don’t often see the light of day. So take a peep at our birds and learn a thing or two about the names of birds we often like to giggle about.