Guira Cuckoo eggs

Loan Policies of the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology 

The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ) loans skin specimens from its research collections for scientific and educational purposes that follow the goals and objectives of the institution. We do not send skin specimens outside of the U.S., and we do not loan egg or nest specimens.

Initial inquiries can be made via e–mail or telephone (805/388-9944), and must include a project description. Nuestros empleados son bilingues, la informacion la pueden solicitar en ingles o en español. Bird specimens may be loaned to a qualified institution in the name of a professional ornithologist. With proper justification, investigators who are not located at or affiliated with an accredited institution can make arrangements to have specimens sent to a nearby facility, as long as a professional ornithologist at the institution is willing to accept responsibility for the specimens. The "Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology" should be acknowledged in any resulting publication that is at least partially based on information obtained from examination of the material, and we request a reprint of any such publication. 

Specimens from our main collection are to be borrowed for research purposes only; they are not to be used for teaching purposes, placed on display, or handled by nonprofessionals. Graduate student requests for loans of WFVZ material must be authorized and sponsored by the student's major professor. The borrower may not transfer loans to any other institution without written permission from the WFVZ.

Loans are ordinarily granted for a period of six months, but reasonable time extensions are normally honored as long as requests are made by e-mail or telephone in advance of the 6-month deadline. In cases of requests for large numbers of specimens, and depending on the nature of the research, the loan may be broken-up into installments with the second shipment sent upon return of the first batch of specimens. At least one male and female of a species are always retained in the WFVZ. Except in very rare circumstances, types, species represented in the collection by only one or two specimens, and taxa that are extremely rare in collections, officially endangered, or extinct, will not be loaned.

The WFVZ is collaborating with 30 other museums in the U.S. so that our data available via the Internet. To search our computerized data electronically, please visit the ORNIS portal at http://ornisnet.org/.

Only no data or data-incomplete specimens (i.e., those in the Teaching Collection) will be loaned for education purposes or artwork intended to be used for commercial or private purposes. Please see the Teaching Materials page for details. 

For additional information on services provided to researchers by the WFVZ, see our Information-Sharing page

Black-chinned Hummingbird nest.