Roxie Collie S. Laybourne (1910-2003), identifying bird feathers, c. 1944
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Download IIIF ManifestRequest permissionsDownload image PrintOrnithologist Roxie Collie S. Laybourne (1910-2003) worked in the Division of Birds at the United States National Museum and with the Bird and Mammal Laboratories, Fish and Wildlife Service. In the 1960s, Laybourne created the field of forensic ornithology, studying minute fragments of bird feathers in order to identify which birds were ingested into aircraft engines, often causing crashes. The field expanded to cover endangered species and criminal investigations.
Also known as: [SPI_5758]
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 04-086, Image No. SIA2009-0709
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520
Black-and-white photographs
SIA Acc. 04-086 [SIA2009-0709]