At one point in time, the swallow-tailed kite bird was a common species in the Great Plains, including eastern Wyoming. But Dr. Charles Preston, the… Read More
Draper Natural History Museum Blogs
How Birds Survive Cold Temperatures
Here in Wyoming the average December low temperature is 17 degrees Fahrenheit. Add wind and you will have sub-zero wind chill temperatures. Yet many of… Read More
Mobbing: What It Is, and Why Do Mobbed Birds Put Up With It
Whether you are a bird watcher or not, you have probably seen a larger bird being harassed by one or more smaller birds. This behavior… Read More
Museum Minute: A High School’s Taxidermy Collection Becomes a Museum’s
The Draper Natural History Museum was founded in 1998. The founding curator, Dr. Charles Preston, had a surprise collection waiting for him when he arrived.… Read More
Ultraviolet Vision in the Avian World
Did you know that many birds can see in ultraviolet light? The capability of UV vision was first documented in pigeons in the early 1970s.… Read More
Call for Proposals: Camp Monaco Prize 2019
Call for Proposals in Greater Yellowstone Biodiversity Research and Public Education: The Camp Monaco Prize 2019 For a pdf of this Call for Proposals, click here.… Read More
Museum Minute: The Beaver’s Role On The Landscape
Before the expansion of the West, there was an estimate of almost 600 million beavers throughout North America. But in the early 1800s,… Read More
Introducing the Swainson’s Hawk
It’s summer, and you think you may have heard the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk. You look up, and see a bird with a contrasting… Read More
Museum Minute: Skulls of Wolves Can Tell A Story
Between 1995 and 1997, 41 wolves from Canada and Northwest Montana were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Twenty years have passed and the population has… Read More
Museum Minute: The Black Footed Ferret Success Story
The black footed ferret is a fierce but tiny predator. They are typically under three pounds and 90 percent of their diet is… Read More
