American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History. Leonard C. Sanford Hall of North American Birds.; Birds of North America; North American Bird Hall; North American Birds; Bird Life of North America; Oceanic Life Hall; Shells; Bird Groups; Hall of Habitat Bird Groups; Habitat Groups; Groups of North American Birds; Hall of Habitat Bird Groups of North America; Hall of Habitat Groups of North American Birds; Birds of North America (Habitat Groups); Birds of North America - Habitat Groups; North American Bird Groups; Hall of North American Bird Groups; Gallery of North American Birds; Chapman Hall; Hall of North American Birds; Chapman Hall of North American Birds; Frank M. Chapman Memorial Hall of North American Birds; North American Birds (Chapman Memorial); Sanford Hall of North American Birds
birth: 1902
death: present
Permanent exhibition. Opened 1902. Located on Floor 3, Section 1. The Leonard C. Sanford Hall of North American Birds at the American Museum of Natural History features dioramas of North American birds in different habitats from the Florida Everglades to Alaskan riverbeds, with forests, prairies, marshes, and deserts among the ecosystems represented (1). Preparation for the hall began in 1899 and was conceived and directed by ornithology curator Frank M. Chapman, who collected most of the specimens and made nearly all of the field studies (2, 1962, p. 31). Other dioramas were added between this time and a major renovation, under the direction of curator Dean Amadon (3, 1973/74, p.21), after which the hall reopened on June 9, 1964 (3, 1963/64, p. 49). Artists for the dioramas included W.B. Cox, Raymond deLucia, H.C. Denslow, Walter Esherich, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Charles J. Hittell, Bruce Horsfall, Francis Lee Jaques, Matthew Kalmenoff, Herbert Lang, J. Hobart Nichols, George Petersen, Stephen C. Quinn, Christopher Ray, Jeness Richardson, Carl Rungius, Fred Scherer, David J. Schwendeman, and Ernest W. Smith (4, 2006, p. 166-167; 2, 1911, p. 57; 2, 1931, p. 89). Museum Trustee Robert D. Sterling and his wife were major donors to the hall (3, 1970/71 p. 3).
The original Hall of North American Birds exhibited habitat groups and specimens arranged by classification. The habitat groups included Coot (Mud Hen) and Yellow-headed Blackbird, Cobb's Island Group, and Bird Rock Group, and sixteen groups in alcoves, which included Robin, Thrush, Vireo, Warbler, and Sparrow. Passenger pigeons were exhibited by the north entrance (2, 1904, p. 24-25). By 1911, habitat groups included Orizaba, Cobb's Island, Duck Hawk, Hackensack Meadow, Wild Turkey, Florida Great Heron, Water Turkey or "Snake-bird", Sandhill Crane, Brown Pelican, Snowy Heron or Egret, Turkey Vulture, California Condor, Brandt's Cormorant, San Joaquin Valley, Flamingo, Booby and Man-of-War, Florida Rookery, Golden's Eagle, Klamath Lake, Arctic Alpine Bird Life, Sage Grouse, Prairie Chicken, Grebe, Loon, and the first habitat group, Bird Rock (2, 1911, p, 57-64). By 1912, the hall consisted primarily of habitat groups (5, 1984, p. 31); in 1916 the Whistling Swan and Whooping Crane Groups were added, the Wild Goose Group in 1918, and the Bering Sea Group in 1931 (2, 1916, p. 83; 2, 1918, p. 75-77; 2, 1931, p. 94).
The hall was renovated as a part of the Museum's ten-year exhibit program to create and update halls from 1959-1969. Some groups were refurbished and others replaced with new ones. New dioramas added during the 1960-1964 renovation included Bald Eagle, Eastern Coastal Birds, Great Horned Owl, and Waterfowl of North America; Storks and Limpkins was added in 1974. Louis Agassiz Fuertes' background for the 1904 Flamingo Group found new life as a mural, and a new mural of the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits was added (4, 2006, p. 166-167; 2, 1962, p. 31-32).
Many of the birds represented in the Hall of North American Birds are endangered, threatened, or extinct, such as the extinct Labrador duck and the endangered California condor. Habitat groups current as of 2017 are below. For clarity, historic or previous names of the dioramas are seen in parentheses.
American Egret (previously Snowy Heron or Egret)
Anhinga or Snake-bird
Bald Eagle
Birds of the Rockies (previously Arctic-Alpine Bird-Life)
Boobies and Frigatebirds
Brandt's Cormorant
California Condor
Canada Goose (previously Wild Goose)
Common Loon(s)
Desert Birds
Eastern Coastal Birds
Eastern Marsh Birds (previously Hackensack Meadow)
Golden Eagle
Great Horned Owl
Labrador Duck
Peregrine Falcon (previously Duck Hawk)
Sandhill Crane
Upland Game Birds
Wading Bird Rookery (previously Florida or Cuthbert Rookery)
Waterfowl of North America
Western Marsh Birds
Whooping Crane
Wild Turkey
Wood Storks and Limpkins
Wood Warblers (without painted background)
The hall also contains cases of owl and hawk specimens and busts of Frank M. Chapman and Leonard C. Sanford (4, 2006, p. 166-167; 6).