FREE | ONLINE EXHIBITION

Uncover the stories of eight amazing birds, now either extinct or endangered, hidden within the Museum’s stores.

Dead or Alive: Birds in our World takes a closer look at specimens not usually on display within our galleries and asks what they can tell us about conservation and colonial dominance.

Where did they come from? Who collected them? Why did they end up preserved in a museum basement? And what does their story mean for the future of our planet?

Through archival material, you’ll be able to follow each bird’s journey before using cutting-edge 3D technology to look more closely at each one, learning about their curious colours and habits, fates and fortunes.

You can also enjoy a series of fantastic artworks from young, Manchester-based artists, inspired by the bird collections at the Museum.

Part celebration, part mourning, this exhibition seeks to confront the impact of climate crisis head on by telling individual histories of what we have lost and what we may yet lose.