Bird exhibit open at Heritage Center

Exhibit crews have been busy putting hundreds of birds into place for the latest addition to the main gallery at the North Dakota Heritage Center.

Birds of North Dakota opened to the public July 1. This exhibit updates and expands the original Birds of North Dakota, which has remained a popular sections of the gallery since the Heritage Center opened in 1981.

Birds of North Dakota has been produced by the state’s history agency, the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

North Dakota is home to nearly 200 species of birds and plays host to millions of migrating birds every year. They are attracted to the state’s plentiful open space and diverse habitats that provide breeding grounds, nesting areas, and ample food.

The 1,000-square-foot permanent exhibit focuses on birds native to North Dakota. Hundreds of bird specimens, some dating to the mid-1800s, are on display, including a rare example of the extinct passenger pigeon.

The ever-popular egg collection has been redesigned and will feature a selection of eggs, both North Dakotan and global, that display unique characteristics such as coloration, size, shape and texture, said SHSND Curator of Exhibits Genia Hesser.

Hunting decoys and stamp art, along with other bird-related artifacts, round out the Birds of North Dakota. The exhibit has something for backyard birdwatchers, adults, children, art enthusiasts, hunters and expert birders.

The 2009 Legislative Assembly funded Birds of North Dakota. To keep costs down, State Historical Society museum staff reused many parts of the old exhibit, including recycling all the glass from the cases. Most of the birds and eggs will also be back, in addition to several new specimens.

Andre and Associates of Victoria, British Columbia, have designed and fabricated an exhibit that not only fits in the Heritage Center’s current main gallery, but will reconfigure into a new location. Eventually, the exhibit will be located between the Geologic Time Gallery and the Early Peoples Gallery in the Sheyenne River Hallway of the expanded North Dakota Heritage Center.

This location will show the relationship of birds to dinosaurs, and the relationship of birds to early humans in the region, said SHSND Museum Director Chris Johnson.

Tags: other events, heritage center, diversions