William Phelps Ornithological Collection

The William Phelps Ornithological Collection is a research center housing over 80,000 bird specimens and several thousand scientific volumes. The institution occupies the Gran Sabana Building and focuses entirely on studying and documenting bird species from across South America.

William H. Phelps Jr. founded this research facility in 1949 based on fieldwork his father had conducted since the 1930s. The collection grew from years of effort to document and preserve information about South American bird species.

The collection plays a central role in understanding bird species across the country's diverse habitats. Visitors can observe how closely the scientific work here connects to Venezuela's tropical ecosystems.

The facility is primarily accessible to researchers and students and is located within walking distance of Sabana Grande metro station. It helps to check opening hours in advance and contact the institution beforehand to arrange a visit.

The center holds one of the most comprehensive archives of tropical bird observations in Latin America with detailed records of distribution patterns. This data comes from decades of systematic fieldwork and is invaluable for understanding the region's bird ecology.

Location: Caracas

Inception: 1949

Founders: William H. Phelps Jr.

Official opening: 1949

GPS coordinates: 10.49269,-66.87442

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:07