This specimen was collected in the late nineteenth century by the Steers Expedition to the Philippine Islands where the species is endemic (restricted to those islands). It offers a DNA source useful in establishing genetic relationships among and between various species of birds, as well as a reference for artists, sculptors, or ornithology students. By having a known provenance and morphological data, it is invaluably useful for analysis by professional ornithologists. Its status can be equated to that of the Passenger Pigeon and Whooping Crane on exhibit elsewhere in the Science Museum.

This colorful individual demonstrates to me the considerable scientific value that old collections have in connecting the past with the present. Specimens such as these are irreplaceable and some may represent species that, even if not endangered, extirpated, or extinct, cannot easily be obtained.
– Dick Oehlenschlager, Biology