Martin Collinson

Genetic Identification of Birds - The Aberdeen Wildlife DNA Lab

Fundraising for University of Aberdeen Development Trust SCIO
£5,620
raised of £10,000 target
Genetic Identification of Birds, 13 July 2022

Story

 ‘CSI: Birding!’

Who we are: We are the wildlife genetics and conservation team at the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen.

What we do: we genetically identify birds from fragments of their tissues and remains. This can support the BTO Ringing Scheme and Bird Observatories in their studies of bird migration for conservation. We also participate in wildlife crime cases and identify birdstrikes on aeroplanes.

Our greatest hits: Twelve firsts for Britain or other European Countries have been confirmed in our lab. These include the Western Palearctic’s first Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, first Audubon’s Shearwater, first Short-tailed Shearwater, Britain’s first Stejneger’s Stonechat (and all the subsequent ones), first Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Eastern Grasshopper Warbler, Rough-legged Hawk, as well as many other major rarities and weirdo subspecies. We have also worked closely with museums to sort out old specimens in their collections, such as the Liberian Greenbul and the Canary Islands Oystercatcher.

Why we appreciate donations: We are happy to help out everyone who wants to send samples of birds they need to get identified, from ordinary birders, ringers, bird observatories, from Britain and abroad – and do 100s of Siberian and Iberian Chiffchaffs, Lesser Whitethroats, Subalpine Warblers, Siberian Stonechats, Isabelline Shrikes, Blyth’s Reed Warblers etc. In order to make this sustainable and allow us to make a conservation and science impact into the future, we ask that if you have benefited from our work you consider a donation to keep us going. Thank you!

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Share this story

Help Martin Collinson

Sharing this page with your friends could help raise up to 3x more in donations

You can also help by sharing this link on

About the charity

The University of Aberdeen Development Trust raises funds to support the institution's development as an international centre of excellence in teaching and research. The charity is expanding the scholarship programme to address both talent and hardship, securing the world's finest academics, funding groundbreaking medical research, and creating outstanding facilities to share with the wider community.

Donation summary

Total raised
£5,619.93
Online donations
£5,619.93
Offline donations
£0.00

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.