Siddi, Ornithological Museum of Sardinia

The Ornithological Museum of Sardinia is located in Siddi, a small rural village located among soft hills in the heart of the Marmilla.
Overlooking the town's main square, the museum is housed in part of the building that housed the Managu Hospital, a rare and important example of a functioning hospital in rural Sardinia in the second half of the 19th century.
Siddi's is the only museum in Sardinia that has focused its attention exclusively on ornithological collections, providing its visitors with an exhibition of about 300 specimens (represented in 19 orders and 51 families), all of which can be found on the island mostly regularly.
On the ground floor there is the exhibition section and the information section.
Immediately after the ticket office, which also has reception functions, a first section introduces the history of the building that houses the collection and then, through a visual and tactile journey, to the evolutionary history of birds, from the “dinosaur with wings” Archaeopteryx lithographica, to the beaks of various species today.
This is followed by a series of windows, large and small, where visitors have the opportunity to contemplate, on a strictly scientific journey, numerous specimens of birds.
This section is completed by tags and information sheets on each specimen on display, and a series of didactic panels on the most relevant aspects of bird biology and on the main types of habitats they frequent.
On the first floor, passing through a large and symbolic egg, another part of the exhibition section develops - more linked to environments and territories, to birds and more - and then the recreational and educational section, the multimedia section and the conference room.
Here there is space for an “active eco-environment” for a full visual, sound, tactile and olfactory immersion in the most significant habitats of the island and in the Mediterranean area frequented by birds: brackish lagoons and coastal ponds, reeds and freshwater ponds, pastures and agricultural environments, scrub and forest, ridges and cliffs, urban environment.
The journey continues with the observation of a window where several bird nests are exposed.
Giant screens, PCs, video projectors and unique “connections” help you visit. Among these, cameras that film 24 hours a day, without disturbing and for scientific, educational and study purposes, some swallow's nests built inside a traditional house located in the historic center of Siddi.
There is also an educational-exhibition section aimed at being enjoyed by people with disabilities, who, through a sensory journey and with the use of multimedia tools, can carry out activities in an active, lively and dynamic way.
The museum spaces end with a shop equipped with books, DVDs, gadgets and various objects about birds and nature, together with the most important productions by Siddi's artisans and producers.
(updated texts by the Ornithological Museum of Sardinia)

Why is it important to visit
The Civic Museum, founded in 1992 with the acquisition of a private collection that consisted of a large number of minerals from all over the world and numerous species of animals (reptiles, mammals and especially birds) belonging to the Sardinian, Italian fauna and in a small part to that of other European countries and the world.
The monothematic and regional choice of the new museum has matured considering both the high number of birds in the old collection and the “Sardinian” origin of the vast majority of them. Together there was the passion and the will to make an original choice in the island landscape, and the desire to contribute to a more attentive knowledge of the life of birds and the places where they live.
Today, the collection has more than 300 pieces. The idea is to complete it with all the species present in Sardinia (about 360).
Since 2008, the museum has hosted the CEAS Siddi Center (Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education).
(updated texts by the Ornithological Museum of Sardinia)

Tag

Structure category: museum, gallery and/or collection

Content type: Science and/or technology

Usability: Open

Province: South Sardinia

Common: Siddi

Macro Territorial Area: South Sardinia

POSTAL CODE: 09020

Address: piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 7

Telephone: +39 070 939888 +39 347 5116787 +39 070 9340148

E-mail: coopvillasilli@gmail.com info@comunesiddi.gov.it

Website: www.museoparcosiddi.it www.villasilli.it/news.php

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MuseoOrnitologicoSardegna

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CooperativaVillaSilli

Information on tickets and access: For always updated information on visiting hours and ticket costs, we recommend that you visit the museum's dedicated web page.

Access mode: For a fee

Other services: Info point, shop space, exhibitions, presentations, seminars, conferences and events. For guided tours, a total of €20.00 must be added to the tickets for groups of up to 20 people, adding €1.00 for each additional visitor, over 20. The numerous thematic educational workshops, for kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, plus other educational and cultural entertainment offers, must be booked in advance. The offers are constantly updated, with the related costs, on the web page: www.villasilli.it/news.php, of the management cooperative. With the logistical support of the museum, it is possible to carry out various multi-thematic excursions.

Update

8/5/2025 - 11:22

Services

Teaching room