Boasting over 10,000 species, birds are the most diverse land vertebrates on the planet, surpassing the biological diversity of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Thriving in every corner of the globe, from tropical forests to polar ice caps, birds vary tremendously in habit and size, from diminutive bee hummingbirds to towering 10-foot-high elephant birds.

In celebration of these beaked and feathered marvels, the Harvard Museum of Natural History has opened the new Birds of the World gallery. This exhibition is the culmination of months of cleaning and restoring mounted bird specimens from the ornithology collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, completely refurbishing antique cases, and redesigning the exhibit displays.

On the balcony encircling the museum’s Great Mammal Hall, this bright, newly remodeled gallery captures the staggering diversity of birds with many hundreds of stunning specimens, representing over 200 different bird families. This new exhibit's displays reveal the very latest in surprising scientific discoveries about the evolution of these modern dinosaurs.