WHAT: Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre
WHERE: Natural History Museum (Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD)
WHEN: 24th May, 2024 – 5th January, 2025
PRICE: From £16.50
OUR RATING: Do It!
If you’re a bird enthusiast, nature lover, or someone seeking a fascinating and immersive experience, look no further than the “Birds: Brilliant & Bizarre” exhibition at the Natural History Museum (NHM). This temporary exhibit is a modern marvel, blending cutting-edge technology with the NHM’s extensive collection of stuffed birds to create an unforgettable journey into the avian world.
The exhibition opens with a projected depiction of birdsong, where visitors are greeted with lines representing bird calls from across the globe. The colours shift from cooler blues to warmer oranges and reds, indicating species’ proximity to the equator. This introduction sets the stage for a captivating exploration of birds and their environments, hinting at the vibrant diversity awaiting inside.
One of the standout features of this exhibition is its innovative design. The use of burlap-coloured latticed straps, suspended from the ceiling, evokes wings or feathers, creating a stunning atmosphere that complements the avian theme. Larger text panels woven into these structures add an extra layer of intrigue, drawing visitors into the exhibit’s narrative from lofty heights.
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through time, beginning with the cataclysmic event 66 million years ago when an asteroid collision led to the extinction of most non-avian dinosaurs but allowed birds to thrive. From there, it delves into the evolution of birds and the ingenious adaptations that have enabled their success in diverse environments worldwide.
Clutches of dinosaur eggs on display, including those of titanosaurs and oviraptors, provide fascinating insights into the reproductive strategies of what are essentially ancient birds. Displays allow visitors to learn about the protective qualities of hard-shelled eggs and the nurturing behaviours exhibited by some dinosaur parents, foreshadowing the traits inherited by modern birds.
Projection mapping showcases the diversity of bird beaks, highlighting how different shapes and sizes have evolved for specialised foraging and feeding purposes. Visitors can even touch moulded versions of bird beaks, gaining a tactile understanding of the evolutionary processes that have shaped these remarkable adaptations.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors encounter stories of bird behaviour, from Australian zebra finches using ‘heat calls’ to protect their unhatched young to hoopoes employing preen oil with antimicrobial properties to safeguard their eggs. These anecdotes offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of avian biology, highlighting the intricate relationships between birds and their environments.
Interactive elements invite visitors to engage their senses, from smelling hoopoe preen oil to witnessing the remarkable intelligence of crows as they prey on toads. A particularly interesting display explains that human-bird relations are sometimes quite close, with the symbiotic association between wild greater honeyguide birds and hunter-gatherers highlighted, showing the connections between birds and humans that have persisted for millennia.
As visitors progress through the exhibition, they are confronted with the stark reality of bird conservation. A poignant statistic reminds us that the UK has lost 73 million birds in the last 50 years, underscoring the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these precious species.
Final Thoughts: The exhibition concludes with a projected installation of birds amidst various natural and urban environments, serving as a poignant reminder of the beauty and fragility of the avian world. A celebration and a call to action for conservation efforts, this is a chance to get up close to the complexity and importance of birds in our world.
