The William Phelps Ornithological Collection, also known as the Phelps Ornithological Museum, is a museum of

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

s dedicated to the study, exhibition and preservation of the

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

and the rest of Latin America. The collection is located east of Caracas and in the geographic center of

Greater Caracas Metropolitan Region of Caracas (MRC) or Greater Caracas (GC) (; RMC or ''Gran Caracas''; GC) is the urban agglomeration comprising the Metropolitan District of Caracas and the adjacent 11 municipalities over Miranda and Vargas state in Venezuel ...

, in the heart of the Sabana Grande district. The William Phelps ornithological collection is the most important in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and it is also the most important private collection in the world in its research area. In this private museum one will find important Phelps family study books, as well as 8000 scientific volumes in the library, more than 83,000 anatomical specimens, more than 80,000 skins, etc. For the year 1990, it was said that the William Phelps Ornithological Collection contained more than 76,300 skins and a small number of anatomical specimens, in the Gran Sabana Building of Sabana Grande. The Phelps library in 1990 already had 6,000 books, 800 journals and 5,500 reprints, mostly from natural sciences.

History

The ornithological collection was born in 1938, although it did not have its own headquarters on the Boulevard of Sabana Grande until 1949. At the beginning of 2018, it celebrated its 80th anniversary in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

. With the passing of time, the collection has been growing and still has great international scientific relevance. In 2005, an investigation was carried out on "plumage differences in four subspecies of golden warbler Basileuterus culicivorus in

Importance

The Phelps Foundation has been recognized worldwide for its scientific research. Since 1937, this foundation has dedicated to the study of the distribution of birds in Venezuela as well as to the dissemination of ornithology in Venezuela. Since 1949, it has expanded globally in its mission to discover, interpret and disseminate information about ornithology through a program of scientific research, education and dissemination in the natural sciences. The Foundation has had an important global trajectory for which it is recognized and is a regional compulsory study resource on tropical birds for experts who want to know more about this area. This museum has historically been connected to the American Museum of Natural History, thanks to the work of Billy Phelps. The ornithological collection has also been expanded thanks to the research carried out with Armando Dugand from

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. Most of the funds to carry out these investigations were collected by the Phelps Foundation.

Research

In March and April 1977, the Phelps Ornithological Collection, with the collaboration of the Venezuelan-Brazilian Border Commission, ''Demarcador de Limites'', carried out a collection of birds at Cerro Urutaní (62 ° 05'W, 3 ° 40'N), which is a low altitude

tepui A tepui , or tepuy (), is a member of a family of table-top mountains or mesas found in northern South America, especially in Venezuela, western Guyana, and northern Brazil. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the ...

on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border in the Sierra Pacaraima. A total of 511 specimens of birds were collected between 1150 and 1280 meters high s.n.m., representing 78 different species. Gilberto Pérez Chinchilla, Manuel Castro and Dickerman prepared the copies of the collection. A full report on these birds was published in the international press and was published in the '' Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History'',

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It was necessary to work in conjunction with the Boundary Directorate of

See more

* Sabana Grande (Caracas) * Boulevard of Sabana Grande * William Phelps * El Recreo Shopping Mall

References

External links

*https://fundacionwhphelps.org/ {{authority control Buildings and structures in Caracas Tourist attractions in Caracas Museums in Caracas Ornithological organizations Zoology museums Scientific organizations based in Venezuela History of science Science and culture Science museums Museums established in 1949