<div dir="ltr"><div>I've been using store-bought superglue for close to a decade now, and have not noticed any significant negative effects on even the oldest specimens. My main complaint with sewing the bills shut is that putting a needle through the nares destroys the interior structure of the nares themselves, which has value for morphological studies (for example in the Rhinocryptidae). For that reason, I use string tying only on species with perforate nares. I fully acknowledge the downsides of superglues, though, especially if there are issues with longer-term damage to the ramphotheca (although most of the ramphotheca is unaffected when gluing). However, as I mentioned at the start of this message, I have not noticed any such damage in my specimens. I will note, too, that very little glue is needed, no more than a small drop near the tip of the maxilla, sufficient to hold the tip of the mandible in place for a few seconds while the glue sets. If anyone does know of a better adhesive-based solution, though, I would love to hear about it. </div><div><br></div><div>Oscar</div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12.8px">--</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Oscar Johnson, </span><span style="font-size:12.8px">Ph.D.</span></div><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Assistant Professor of Ornithology, Department of Biological Sciences</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Florida Gulf Coast University</span><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><a href="mailto:ojohnson@utep.edu" target="_blank">ojohnson@fgcu.edu</a> |</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><a href="mailto:henicorhina@gmail.com" target="_blank">henicorhina@gmail.com</a></div><br><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 9:22 PM Mariana Di Giacomo <<a href="mailto:maru.digi@gmail.com">maru.digi@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi Nina and everyone,</div><div><br></div><div>I would recommend not using any glues or adhesives for this task, as no adhesive is 100% reversible at the microscopic level. These are research specimens and their potential could be diminished by this addition. As an example, proteomic studies get severely impacted by the presence of adhesives, no matter how much you dissolve them because they are still present at the molecular level.</div><div><br></div><div>I would try some of the great non-adhesive tips shared here, so you prepare the specimens for the analytical techniques of the future. </div><div>Best of luck,</div><div>Mariana</div><div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:12.8px"><font color="#351c75"><b>Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD</b></font></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><b style="color:rgb(53,28,117);font-size:small">Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum</b><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">Member at Large; </span><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">Associate Editor (Collection Forum), SPNHC</span></div><div style="font-size:small"><br></div><div style="font-size:small"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">El jue, 20 nov 2025 a las 21:03, Symcha Gillette (<<a href="mailto:sgillette@alaska.edu" target="_blank">sgillette@alaska.edu</a>>) escribió:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div>In addition to tying them shut with thread, I usually use a pin to secure the bill and prevent the lower mandible from sliding backward. See attached photos. Unlike an adhesive, it's not guaranteed to always keep the bill tightly closed once the thread and pin are removed, but it generally does the job.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">-Symcha Gillette</div><div dir="auto">Research Affiliate, University of Alaska Museum<br><br><div class="gmail_quote" dir="auto"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Nov 20, 2025, 5:57 AM Black, Nina <<a href="mailto:npblack@fas.harvard.edu" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">npblack@fas.harvard.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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Hi All,</div>
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Does anyone have advice for an archival glue that can be used to keep bills closed when preparing bird skins, or perhaps can suggest a good method for this? We always tie them shut with string through the nostrils, but for some birds that have long bills or
oddly shaped ones it is hard to keep it closed. Some colleagues have used regular super glue, but I am not so keen on this idea</div>
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Thanks,</div>
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Nina</div>
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<b>Nina Black</b></div>
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Ornithology & Mammalogy</div>
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