The bird collection was initiated by David Hurst Thomas in the late 1960s while conducting archaeological research in Nevada.
Since that time, the collection increased in an ad-hoc manner by graduate students and other researchers preparing specimens (e.g., Tim Carpenter, Michael Delacorte, Anastasia Leigh, Dwight Simons, Peter Schulz). After 2001, Christyann Darwent increased the number of California species and also added a number of birds that breed in the Arctic. A total of 147 specimens, primarily from California and Nevada, represent 70 different species.
| ORDER | FAMILY | GENUS | SPECIES | COMMON | STATE | OSTEOLOGICAL SPECIMAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Aix | sponsa | wood duck | CA | 2 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anas | acuta | northern pintail | CA/NV | 4 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anas | americana | American widgeon | CA/NV | 4 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anas | clypeata | northern shoveler | CA | 4 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anas | crecca | green-winged teal | CA/NV | 9 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anas | cyanoptera | cinnamon teal | CA | 3 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anas | platyrhynchos | mallard | CA | 6 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anser | albifrons | greater white-fronted goose | CA | 2 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Anser | cf. fabilis | goose (bean goose?) | CA | 1 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Aythya | affinis | lesser bluebill (scaup) | CA | 2 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Aythya | collaris |
ring-necked duck |
CA | 1 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Aythya | valisineria | canvasback duck | CA | 3 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Branta | canadensis | Canada goose | CA | 4 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Bucephala | cf. clangula | (Barrow's) goldeneye | CA | 1 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Chen | caerulescens | snow goose | CA | 5 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Chen | rossii | Ross's goose | CA | 1 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Cygnus | buccinator | trumpeter swan | CA | 1 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Cygnus | columbianus | tundra (whistling) swan | CA | 4 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Lophodytes | cucullatus | hooded merganser | CA | 1 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Mergus | merganser | common merganser | CA | 2 |
| Anseriformes | Anatidae | Oxyura | jamaicensis | ruddy duck | CA | 2 |
| Charadriiformes | Alcidae | Alle | alle | dovekie | UK | 1 |
| Charadriiformes | Alcidae | Uria | aalge | common murre/ guillemot | CA/UK | 2 |
| Charadriiformes | Laridae | Larus | occidentalis | western gull | CA | 1 |
| Ciconiformes | Ardeidae | Ardea | alba | great egret | CA | 1 |
| Ciconiformes | Ardeidae | Ardea | herodias | great blue heron | CA | 2 |
| Ciconiformes | Ardeidae | Cathartes | aura | turkey vulture | CA | 3 |
| Ciconiformes | Threskiornithidae | Plegadis | chihi | white-faced Ibis | CA | 1 |
| Columbiformes | Columbidae | Columba | livia | rock dove (pigeon) | CA | 4 |
| Columbiformes | Columbidae | Zenaida | macroura | mourning dove | CA | 2 |
| Coraciiformes | Alcedinidae | Ceryle | alcyon | belted kingfisher | CA | 1 |
| Falconiformes | Acciptridae | Accipiter | striatus | sharp-shinned hawk | CA | 1 |
| Falconiformes | Acciptridae | Aquila | chrysaetos | golden eagle | CA/NV | 2 |
| Falconiformes | Acciptridae | Buteo | jamaicensis | red-tailed hawk | CA | 3 |
| Falconiformes | Falconidae | Falco | columbarius | merlin | CA | 2 |
| Falconiformes | Falconidae | Falco | sparverius | American kestrel (sparrow hawk) | CA | 2 |
| Galliformes | Odontophoridae | Callipepla | californica | California quail | CA | 2 |
| Galliformes | Phasianidae | Centrocercus | urophasianus | sage grouse | CA | 1 |
| Galliformes | Phasianidae | Gallus | gallus | chicken | CA | 5 |
| Galliformes | Phasianidae | Meleagris | gallopavo | turkey (domestic) | CA | 2 |
| Galliformes | Phasianidae | Pavo | cristatus | common peafowl (peacock) | 1 | |
| Galliformes | Phasianidae | Phasianus | colchicus | ring-necked pheasant | CA | 1 |
| Gaviiformes | Gaviidae | Gavia | stellata | red-throated loon | AK | 1 |
| Gruiformes | Rallidae | Fulica | americana | American coot | CA | 3 |
| Passeriformes | Cardinalidae | Pheucticus | melanocephalus | black-headed grosbeak | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Corvidae | Aphelocoma | californica | western scrub jay | CA | 3 |
| Passeriformes | Corvidae | Corvus | brachyrhynchos | American crow | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Corvidae | Corvus | corax | common raven | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Corvidae | Pica | nuttalli | yellow-billed magpie | CA | 2 |
| Passeriformes | Corvidae | Pica | pica | black-billed magpie | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Fringillidae | Carduelis | tristis |
American goldfinch |
CA | 2 |
| Passeriformes | Mimidae | Mimus | polyglottos | northern mockingbird | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Muscicapidae | Catharus | guttatus | hermit thrush | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Parulidae | Dendroica | coronata | yellow-rumped warbler | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Parulidae | Oporornis | tolmeiei | MacGillivray's warbler | NV | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Passeridae | Passer | domesticus | house sparrow | NV | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Sturnidae | Sturnus | vulgaris | European starling | CA | 1 |
| Passeriformes | Turdidae | Catharus | ustulatus | Swainson's thrush | CA | 1 |
| Pelecaniformes | Pelecanidae | Pelicanus | sp. | pelican | CA | 1 |
| Piciformes | Picidae | Colaptes | auratus | northern flicker | CA | 5 |
| Piciformes | Picidae | Picoides | scalaris | ladder-backed woodpecker | CA | 1 |
| Piciformes | Picidae | Sphyrapicus | ruber | red-breasted sapsucker | CA | 1 |
| Podicipediformes | Podicipedidae | Aechmophorus | occidentalis | western grebe | CA | 2 |
| Podicipediformes | Podicipedidae | Podilymbus | podiceps | pied-billed grebe | CA | 2 |
| Procellariiformes | Procellariidae | Fulmar | glacialis | fulmar | UK | 1 |
| Strigiformes | Strigidae | Asio | flammeus | short-eared owl | CA | 1 |
| Strigiformes | Strigidae | Bubo | virginianus | great-horned owl | WA | 1 |
| Strigiformes | Tytonidae | Tyto | alba | barn owl | CA | 7 |
| Trochliformes | Trochilidae | Calypte | costae | Costa's hummingbird | CA | 1 |