Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, a non-profit corporation

Welcome to The WFVZ, "The Camarillo Bird Museum"

Our Facility in Camarillo, CA, USA

The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, is both a natural history collection specializing in eggs and nests of birds from around the world, and a research and education institution dedicated to bird conservation. The Foundation's fundamental mission is to obtain, protect, and manage ornithological collections in a manner that ensures their accessibility to researchers, educators, students, and the public, and to ensure that the materials are used in projects that contribute to the conservation of the world's wild bird species.

Researchers

The Museum's hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. Researchers must contact us and give us at least 48 hours notice if they want access to the collections. (View a list of services offered to researchers.)

Scheduled Public Tours

The staff of the WFVZ conduct public tours of the large collection of bird eggs, nests, and mounted specimens on the last Friday of every month at 3 p.m. (except May, November, and December). Please call at least one day in advance to get on the waiting list. Our suggested donation for tours is $3 per person.

Osprey mount in WFVZ collections

Group Tours by Appointment

Special Group Tours (see our flyer) can be arranged for 10+ people for school classes, community groups, and other organizations. Please call to arrange a tour at least 2 months in advance. Our requested donation for tours is $3 per person. Please visit our Education Program page and contact the Foundation for more information.