Zoology Museum Tour: A Birds Special

The Zoology Museum is running a birds-focused tour on Wednesday 18 November, from 12:00 to 12:45. It's a 45-minute guided walk through the collections, with the Upper Bird Gallery getting a fair bit more time than usual, though the rest of the museum stays open to wander through on your own.

The tour is put together and led by students from the Zoology and Biological Sciences Society, with a bit of backing from the University Collections team. The guides themselves are a mixed bag: some are experienced tour leaders, others are students giving their first one. It's a student-run thing, so you're hearing from people who actually study the subject.

As for what you'll see, the museum's collections are worldwide in scope. You'll find sea sponges and great whales alongside an Indian elephant and a giant Japanese spider crab, with taxidermy, skeletons, fluid-preserved specimens and models on display. The bird focus just means you'll spend more time with the avian side of things than you would on a standard run-through.

Entry is free for everyone. Booking is recommended, but drop-ins are welcome; if the tour is full, you can still do a self-guided visit. Group tours are also available at no charge, with donations welcome. The tour starts in the Zoology Building foyer at the Zoology Museum, University of Aberdeen.