Saving bird skull/bones?

[happi duck]

I will Google but figured this is the best place to ask...

A neighborhood cat killed a bird and left it in the yard.  I'd like to keep the skull and maybe the bones.  Do I just bury it and dig it back up after a time?

[Guest]

dermastid beetles are what museums, etc use. If you ask on local groups, or check with a taxidermist, you may find someone who can get you started-or has a beetle barrel that needs feeding, and would let you drop off your bird to be consumed. 

 

They will eventually weather outside, but the chance of an animal breaking and scattering the bones is high, especially since bird bones are fairly fragile. If you're in an area with fire ants, supposedly a fire ant hill does a good job, too, but rem9ving your cleaned bones without getting bitten painfully would be a challenge. 

 

[MEmama]

Years ago DS glued rat bones onto sheet of acid free paper. They’ve held up well.

[MEmama]

Oh,I just realised you need the actual bird to decompose first. Duh. 🙄

[EKS]

There's this.

[Melissa in Australia]

My ds 25 saves bones from bigger animals, like deer heads. He boils them on an outside fire for a very long time until all the flesh falls off. 

[happi duck]

I went with burial and covered with a big rock.  We'll see how it goes!

I found a website that suggested the beetles mentioned by @dmmetler , burial, or left out.  Burial was the quickest for now.

I'm calling the bird Francis since Sunday is his feast day and he preached to the birds.

[happi duck]

Just now, Melissa in Australia said:

My ds 25 saves bones from bigger animals, like deer heads. He boils them on an outside fire for a very long time until all the flesh falls off.

I might be too squeamish...hmmm...

Dd and I both like skulls.  We're both practically in tears over this bird but also both wanted to keep the skull.  

[happi duck]

Thanks all!

[Matryoshka]

My brother (a high school science teacher) used to have a bunch of dermestid beetles - my kids gave him many thing to 'process'.

When he was a lad, he already loved bones.  Whenever he found bones in the wood, he found boiling them in bleach water was useful.  But the meaty parts had already mostly rotted off.  He used this same method on lots of chicken bones from dinners...  I always joked he would never get married because he had such a huge skull collection.  I was wrong!  He found a lovely anthropolgy major.  Although she's still not fond of his Madagascar hissing cockroaches.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Bambam]

If you have fire ants, they will take care of the flesh. 

[Ausmumof3]

2 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

My ds 25 saves bones from bigger animals, like deer heads. He boils them on an outside fire for a very long time until all the flesh falls off. 

My dh has also done this.  The smell is something else! 🤮

[Cecropia]

I personally find this law frustrating, but FYI.  It applies to bones/eggs/nests/etc. as well as feathers.

https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feathers-and-the-law.php

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2018-title50-vol9/xml/CFR-2018-title50-vol9-part21.xml

[BlsdMama]

Definitely NOT just sitting in a tree...

 

DH did this with a deer skull about four years ago.  It’s perched in the maple just outside my bedroom window - I can see it every day. Joy.

 

Trots off to look into beetles....