Data Access

The public dissemination of Smtihsonian Migratory Bird Center datasets is a core obligation of the lab. The researchers' highest priorities as stewards of long-term datasets are to:

  1. maintain data integrity;
  2. allow adequate time for the analysis, quality assurance and publication of results by graduate students and principal investigators;
  3. and properly and responsibly acknowledge the appropriate funding sources.

SMBC scientists will therefore make their data available within five years of the date of collection. SMBC requests that data users adhere to the following guidelines as a matter of professional courtesy and ethical responsibility:

  • Inform the principal investigators in advance of interest and plans for use of these data.
  • Acknowledge properly the sources of funding used to collect these data. SMBC will provide the appropriate information when informed of which data are being used.

Researchers at SMBC ask to review manuscripts that use extensive amounts (e.g. several years) of these data. If data use is extensive, or if these data have not been published previously, it may be appropriate for one or more project principal investigators to be included as co-authors on publications that are generated, given the additional requirements from SMBC for analysis and interpretation.

Physical Materials

This collection consists of avian tissues, such as blood, feathers, claws and fecal material, that are housed indefinitely in SMBC's frozen and non-frozen tissue collections. Some of this material is consumed during analysis. Unused and remaining samples are freely made available to interested researchers. These samples are currently available by request, and SMBC is working to make this database searchable online. Please contact SMBC's Bob Reitsma for information on how to access tissue samples.

Available Data Sets

Metadata are included with each file.