Three bird feet are lined up: a goose’s foot with small rounded claws and webbing between its toes; A black raven’s foot, small in comparison to the other two with pointy hooked claws; and an eagle’s foot with large talons and long pointy claws.

Ildiko: So one of the questions that I was asked today is: if I saw bird footprints, would I have an idea of what it liked to eat? And I would say very much. So I would know that if I saw webbing that this is a bird that preferred aquatic habitats, and that it’s probably a herbivore, a vegetarian, or an omnivore. If I saw the middle foot of the raven, I would know that this is a bird that likes to cling on branches, and again, it’s probably a generalist and likes to eat all sorts of things. But if I saw the eagle foot, I would see all the power, and I would know it’s a carnivore. My name is Ildiko Szabo. I’m the collections curator of the Cowan Tetrapod Collection here at the UBC Beaty Biodiversity Museum.

A woman with grey chest-length hair and glasses looks at the camera.