Heritage Malta is tomorrow holding the lecture ‘The Bird Collections at the National Museum of Natural History – A Valuable Source of Data’ in Mdina.

A historical specimen of a white pelican

The lecture will delve into how a small collection of 1,700 bird specimens has managed to reach a 10,000 figure over the years.

The lecture will also focus on some important specimens and a number of significant donations, the taxidermists who prepared the specimens and the curators and ornithologists who studied Maltese birds.

Participants will learn about the role of the collections in the museum as tangible records, as comparative and prime source material for scientists making use of genetic studies, as well as aids to police investigations.

Finally, the future of these collections, including their digitisation and their accessibility on the internet, will be discussed.

The lecture is being held tomorrow at the National Museum of Natural History in Mdina at 6.30pm. Admission to this event is free of charge. Light nibbles will be served. For more information, visit www.heritagemalta.org.