State Natural History Museum to Celebrate Birds Big and Small at Museum Day

Storrs, CT — The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH) is hosting their annual Museum Day with Big Bird Day on July 18, from 1-5pm. Visitors are invited to walk amongst a stunning diversity of birds from Connecticut and beyond. The day will offer a rare opportunity to learn about their biology and calls from carefully prepared taxidermy mounts from the turn of the 20th century.

Featured displays include a wide variety of bird specimens from around the world. A remarkable collection of taxidermy mounts of birds of prey will be featured, along with examples of different species of waterfowl and tropical birds. Highlights will include real specimens of extinct species such as the passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, and the bush moa. Replicas of the extinct elephant bird, thought to be one of the largest birds to ever exist, will also be on display.

In particular, the CSMNH is excited to have two returning community partners joining in Big Bird Day. The Mansfield Public Library will have books, puppets and other educational items about birds. Patrons can check out items with their library card or sign up on site. The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is back with another nature-themed puppet making station, where visitors can design a bird puppet for inclusion in an installation after the event or to take home.

Visitors will learn all about bird songs, feathers, nests and eggs, and fun facts like the differences between hawks and falcons and how taxidermy specimens are cared for and cleaned. There will be activities and games for all ages, with opportunities to apply what you’ve learned to win custom CSMNH Big Bird Day prizes. There will also be a “crafting corner” and bird scavenger hunt for the kids (and the kids at heart!).

Big Bird Day will be held Saturday July 18, 2026 in the Gant Science Complex Light Court at UConn Storrs, on N. Eagleville Rd. 1pm-5pm. Parking is available for free in most lots on the weekends or in the North Parking Garage, adjacent to the Gant Science Complex.

The event is free and open to the public, but you can RSVP before the event! Visit https://csmnh.uconn.edu/programs/for more information and to RSVP.

We encourage visitors to campus to also go see our exhibit Birds Up Close at the William Benton Museum of Art. Birds Up Close explores the history of early collecting practices, and the role natural history collections have played in shaping scientific knowledge. Visitors are invited to consider how these specimens were gathered, studied, and preserved, and how museum practices have evolved over time. Contemplating natural history specimens as works of art, the exhibition highlights the enduring value of avian collections to research, education, and public understanding today.

If you require an accommodation to participate in any of our events, please contact the Museum at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu.

This program is sponsored by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at the University of Connecticut.