MCZ specimens used for research on woodpeckers and possible brain damage

April 25, 2018
downy woodpecker
downy woodpecker, photo by Jeremiah Trimble
Dr. Peter Cummings and George Farah of Boston University recently utilized the MCZ's Ornithology collection to investigate whether woodpeckers exhibited some of the same signs of brain injury detectable in humans. The behavior of woodpeckers of pecking at trees with their bills to extract insects or to create nest cavities makes them an interesting group to study in this way. The brains of several of the MCZ’s preserved woodpecker specimens were tested and revealed some distinct signs of brain injury including the presence of phosphorylated tau proteins which have been linked to detectability and presence of brain injuries in humans. You can find out more about this important work published in PLoS ONE and discussed in further detail by The Field Museum.
See also: Ornithology