The Feather Thief

“Quivering beneath his fingertips were a dozen Red-ruffed Fruitcrows, gathered by naturalists and biologists hundreds of years ago from the forests and jungles of South America and fastidiously preserved by generations of curators for the benefit of future research. Their coppery-orange feathers glimmered despite the faint light. Each bird, maybe a foot and a half from beak to tail, lay on its back in funerary repose, eye sockets filled with cotton, feet folded close against the body. Tied around their legs were biodata labels: faded, handwritten records of the date, altitude, latitude, and longitude of their capture, along with other vital details.”

Rist’s feather heist resulted in a loss of knowledge for humankind. Famous naturalists and biologists, including Alfred Russel Wallace, collected many of these bird specimens that Rist subsequently stole. Several specimens are now endangered due to human-induced habitat destruction, overhunting, and climate change. Therefore, researchers use small samples from these specimens to better understand the past, including environmental conditions, diet, and ecosystems, as well as compare them to the future to understand how the environment is changing. New scientific methods mean that researchers can continue to use the specimens to advance science. However, these specimens are truly only useful with their biodata labels, which provide provenience information. Without these labels, researchers do not know where the specimen came from, making it difficult to use the specimens for science. When Rist removed the biodata labels on the stolen bird specimens, he rendered them useless to scientific research, representing a loss not just for the scientific community but humankind more broadly.

“To prevent the loss of the earth’s deep history, Wallace implored the British government to stockpile within its museums as many specimens as possible, ‘where they may be available for study and interpretation.’”

A primary interest of Wallace was better understanding the evolution of species. This scientific endeavor represents one of the reasons why he collected tens of thousands of natural specimens (in addition to building his wealth by selling some of them).