Book review of The Feather Detective by Chris Sweeney

What do a 1960 airplane disaster in Boston, a 1971 tar-and-feathering in Michigan, a 1972 murder trial in Maine and the dawning of forensic ornithology at the Smithsonian Institute have in common? The pioneering work of hardworking, taciturn Roxie Laybourne, the U.S.’s first forensic ornithologist.

In The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne, award-winning journalist Chris Sweeney braids Laybourne’s life story with aviation history, forensic science, true crime and wildlife research. Laybourne’s 1910 birth coincided with the opening of the Smithsonian’s permanent National Museum of Natural History. By the time Laybourne was 50, she had been working for more than 15 years in the taxidermy studio, doing the delicate work of skinning and restoring bird specimens. Sweeny describes it as a “gamesome boys’ club whose members trafficked in exotic animal carcasses, potent chemicals, and practical jokes.” Laybourne’s mantra to keep her head down and do the work helped her survive.

In 1960, she received a curious new assignment. A flight had crashed into Boston Harbor moments after takeoff, killing 62 people. Many dead birds were left on the runway, and shredded feathers and animal tissue were found in the plane’s engines. The Federal Aviation Administration sent these remains to Laybourne, and she confirmed that a large flock of European starlings were sucked into the plane’s engines and caused the crash. In order to not deter the growing popularity of commercial flight, the FAA launched a long-term project to understand bird-plane collisions and started sending Laybourne the feathers and carcasses of felled birds. 

From here, the FBI, FAA and Fish and Wildlife Service called upon Laybourne to testify in court regarding a variety of crimes: murders, animal poaching and, in one case, a tar-and-feathering (feathers from one suspect’s pillow matched those found on the victim). An international ambassador for science and birds, Laybourne inspired women to follow in her footsteps—if they could keep up with her relentless work ethic and weren’t afraid to ride in her sports car. 

Relying on court documents and many archival interviews with Laybourne, Sweeney brings this feisty pioneer to life, steering through her lively career with gusto to deliver an unforgettable portrait of a true game changer. After reading The Feather Detective, readers will feel privileged to know Roxie Laybourne through this vividly told biography.