Collections Databases

Photo: Cathy Morris/Burke Museum
Photo: Cathy Morris/Burke Museum

Thank you for visiting the Burke Museum website. Access to collections databases is currently unavailable. Specimen data is accessible for several collections through other resources with whom we share our data. 

For Herbarium specimen data please visit the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria; for Paleontology collections we recommend iDigBio; for Genetic Resources, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Mammalogy, and Ornithology we recommend VertNet.

Access to some Burke databases may be restored this year, while others will take much more time. In the interim, please contact the corresponding collections manager if you have a specific research request. Thank you for your understanding. 

Search the Collections

The Burke Museum's collection consists of more than 18 million biological, geological and cultural objects from Washington state and around the world.

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Search the Burke Collections

The Burke Museum's collection consists of more than 18 million biological, geological and cultural objects from Washington state and around the world; over 10 million are accessible through our online database.

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Google map of Washington state with markers on it
Google Map Data 2019
Google Map Data 2019

Find Burke collections from your area

The Burke cares for collections from across Washington state (and around the world), spanning well over 130 years of collecting efforts.

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washington state map with dots on it indicating where collections came from

Burke collections from Washington state

Maps showing the distribution of Burke Museum digitized specimens and artifacts from Washington state.

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Archaeology Collections

The Archaeology collections database includes artifacts from around the world with an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest. 

Arts & Cultures Collections

Search images and data within the Burke Museum's world-renowned Arts & Cultures Collections.

Plant & Fungi Collections

Vascular and nonvascular plants, fungi, lichens and marine algae.

Herpetology Collections

Select “Amphibian and reptile specimens” under “Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (UWBM)” in the drop-down menu for Collection.

Ichthyology Collections

Specimens including adult fishes, juveniles, larvae, eggs, skeletons, tissues, otoliths and scales.

Malacology Collections

A broad diversity of modern molluscs collected from around the world.

Mammalogy Collections

Mammal specimens from all continents except Antarctica, with a strong emphasis in the Pacific Northwest.

Ornithology Collections

Bird study skins, spread wings, bird skeletons, egg sets, nests and frozen tissue samples.

Otolith Collections

Roughly 2.4 million pairs of fish otoliths.

Paleontology Collections

Search the Burke's paleontological collections—fossil invertebrates, leaves, flowers, mammals, birds, dinosaurs, and more.

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Our Work

At the Burke, we bring together people, objects and the stories that make them meaningful.

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Photo: Mark Stone/University of Washington
Photo: Mark Stone/University of Washington