Thread: Where can I find a (fake) bird skeleton?

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Damn, I never thought this search would be this hard! Or maybe I'm just Google-ing the wrong thing. I'm looking for a small bird skeleton, a fake one like a model or something, to put in a birdcage in an "attic" themed room at my party this year. I've only found REAL ones on eBay and I'm not into that. Any suggestions?

I'd love to know too... I was looking for one earlier this year and my google skilz failed me.

I had the same problem a few years back so I decided to try making my own. I needed a parrot so I found a picture to use for reference. I used the rib cage and wing bones from a bat skeleton I got a few years ago, then sculpted the head and legs. I knew mine would be in a tree so a didn't worry to much about the detail and besides how many people know what a bird skeleton looks like anyway.

I ended up putting mine on a swing then later animated it to talk. I think making your own may be the way to go.

Here is just one of many links for a bird skeletons:
http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Birds...-Skeleton.html

This is what I ended up with:

Just out of curiosity, I took a two minute spin on Google to see what I could come up with. There were some interesting things that I managed to find. I searched in the direction of educational toys/ puzzles and found these sites (linked below): the products could work with some minor modifications for your own designs and purposes.

Another search direction you could try is the Smithsonian Online Gift shop or contacting a national/state park gift shop. When you search online be sure to use words like "synthetic", "replica", "resin" or "wood" if you don't want to obtain a genuine skeleton. I found my results by asking for an Image Only search, and clicking into websites that looked promising.

http://www.boneclones.com/catalog_birds.htm

http://www.gigglytoys.com/3d-Wooden-...B000MHX4SQ.htm

Some puzzle brands that may be worth pursuing include Armaditos puzzles and B&D Enterprise.

Also, try perusing through the North American Avian (bird) Society. That's where I got all of my bird calls for my Halloween music loop. I vaguely remember them having links to interesting products for sale.

If all else fails, try searching for artist's anatomical/ reference models. I've seen pose-able skeletons of people and common domestic animals, so it doesn't seem impossible that there would be one manufactured for birds.

Good Luck!

I too thought I might be successful in being able to locate something close to what you were looking for. Nothing really fit the bill. I tried some of the same approaches thinking educational, audubon or national geo might be the way to go. Still no luck. I tried searching by artificial, faux, skeleton, and model. When I did find bird models (some nice 3D computer ones) they were of larger birds anyway, nothing like a song bird that would be in a bird cage in one's house.

Well best I could do is to point you to this ebay auction (real skeleton) and suggest because the close up photos are so good you consider modeling one out of clay for example, something along the lines of what bucaneerbabe did with her parrot (came out great BTW). Save the auction images so you have something to work from if you decide to pursue this route as they will eventually pull the photos down after the auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Skeleton-bird-Ni...t_12078wt_1049

Alternatively, you could go with the latex skeleton parrot.
Amazon.com: Rubies Accessories Parrot on My Shoulder: Clothing


buckaneerbabe, nice modifiication of the bat skeleton.
Not to be picky, but a bat is a mammal and the skeleton of a bird is quite different.

The real thing:

http://www.boneroom.com/bone/budgetskel.htm


Great 3D skeleton renderings so you can make one yourself:

http://www.skullsite.com/skeletons/index.htm

HexMe, there's always the option of forgetting the small bird skeleton idea and finding a faux canary or parakeet and laying it dead on the floor of the cage. Who would have known finding something like this would be so hard. I was sure there would be some place to get a skeleton without resorting to using a real one (and that would creep me out too BTW).

Thanks everyone for the ideas! I'm still scratching my head though...I seriously cannot believe how non-existant bird skeleton models are. It's not like I was looking for, I don't know, the skeleton of a half eaten albino rhinoceros or something....

Anyway, we have a friend who is a talented sculptor that I'm sure would be able to put one together for us, but this wasn't one of the props I expected to become a "project". So instead I'm going to put a bat in the cage with a little trough of blood like:



This is concept art from Disney's Haunted Mansion ride (by Marc Davis I believe) that didn't end up making it into the attraction. Now I just need to find a realistic looking hanging bat prop...

I too looked and looked for a innexpensive, parrot type skeleton to put on a tombstone but I had no luck.. Some people on here told me that they made a bird skeleton but, it looked too complicated for my skills. Hope you have better luck than I did finding one!