Aix Taxidermy

18/08/2024

The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a true icon of North American wildlife. Known for their impressive size (up to 24 pounds) and iridescent plumage, these birds hold a rich history and deep cultural significance. The strutting display of a tom, with feathers shingled and wide-spread tail, is a sight to behold, especially during the breeding season.

Turkeys have incredible vision, being able to see in color and having a field of vision of about 270 degrees. Their wattles and snood can dramatically change color based on their emotions, signaling to rival toms and hens. They can also hear very well, which helps them detect predators and communicate with other members of their species from a considerable distance.

This birds are much smarter than often credited. They have complex social structures, can learn their environment's details to evade predators, and possess strong memories, especially regarding locations.

Thank you to Josh Souza for trusting us with this 23.5-pounds project.

14/08/2024

Available Now!!!

The Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) is the Asian counterpart to the Wood Duck, sharing the "perching duck" classification within the genus Aix. Like its American relative, the Mandarin Duck prefers forested habitats and nests in tree cavities.

Known for its striking sexual dimorphism, the drake is often regarded as the most beautiful duck in the world. While native to East Asia, the Mandarin Duck has successfully established populations in parts of Europe, the UK, and even small, isolated areas in the USA, particularly in North Carolina and California.

30/07/2024

The Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) is native to southwestern Europe, primarily found in France, Spain, and Portugal. However, it has been introduced to other countries mainly as a game bird.

This game bird prefers open, dry habitats such as farmland, grasslands, and scrublands, often on bare, rocky ground. Males and females are known for their strong bonds and often pair for several breeding seasons.

In North America, it is bred for hunting purposes, but contrary to its close relative, the Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar), which has introduced and well-established populations in the western region, no records of established populations in the wild exist for the Red-legged Partridge.

This beautiful mount is AVAILABLE now for pik-up. PM FOR DETAILS

25/07/2024

The Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is one of the smallest ducks in North America and the smallest member of the goldeneye genus, Bucephala.

Unlike other goldeneye species, Buffleheads have dark-brown eyes. These diving ducks feed on insects, crustaceans, and mollusks, which they find in both shallow coastal areas and inland bodies of freshwater, diving to depths of up to 15 feet.

Buffleheads are cavity-nesting ducks, and it is believed that their smaller size evolved to fit the abandoned cavities made by a specific woodpecker, the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus), often located above 10 feet off the ground. These ducks pair for life and return to the same nest cavity each year.

22/07/2024

Oh yeah. The fly is also taxidermied!!!

12/07/2024

Hen Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Sexual dimorphism in this species is very pronounced, especially during the breeding season. However, in summer, males and females are difficult to distinguish as they look quite similar. The drakes have yellow eyes (brown in females) and often a darker bill (yellowish-brown in females), which helps differentiate them during this time of year.

Thanks to Jake Terrio for bringing us this beautiful hen.

09/07/2024

Here is the final result!!!!! Crabs and Lobster Taxidermy ready to hang on your wall.

Do you remember the reel of the crabs in progress??

These are available for pickup in our store, but we can also create your own custom trophy.
PM FOR DETAILS!!!

03/07/2024

Two ideas for turkey fans. Which one do you like more? 🦃

02/07/2024

Hen Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) in progress now

02/07/2024

As promised, here are some details of the Wood Duck project in collaboration with Bill Embacher.

We are very happy with the result, but even more so with the experience of working together, my friend. It's always enriching to share our knowledge and conversations.

We hope Jake Terrio is enjoying this piece in his home right now.

30/06/2024

Honoring the name of our business, here's a mount of a Wood Duck (Aix sponsa).
The drake Wood Duck is famous for its striking, iridescent plumage, showing a rainbow of colors including green, blue, and purple, with a multicolored bill and bright red eyes.

It is often considered one of the most beautiful ducks in North America. Unlike most ducks, Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities, sometimes as high as 60 feet off the ground.

Remarkably, the ducklings must jump from these heights shortly after hatching

26/06/2024

Another Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) mount.

This grouse has a larger tail and distinctive patches of pink, bare skin above the eyes, likely indicating it was in the core of the breeding season.

This species of upland bird has 13 different subspecies distributed across Canada and the northernmost states of the USA. It primarily inhabits hardwood forests, feeding on seeds, leaves, buds, berries, and insects.

During courtship, the Ruffed Grouse performs a drumming display by rapidly beating its wings, a sound that can be heard up to a quarter of a mile away, typically from a log or an elevated point on the forest floor that serves as a stage. Additionally, their strutting behavior includes fanning out their tail and neck feathers, shaking their head, and producing a hissing sequence that sounds like an old steam train accelerating.

The Ruffed Grouse is a popular game bird and has been designated the State Game Bird of Pennsylvania.

20/06/2024

Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

Another beloved pet that has passed away, and another happy customer who now has it back.

20/06/2024

Some pets become a part of the family, and their loss is always painful. This canary (Serinus canaria f. domestica) was my mother's companion for many years, enchanting her life with its sweet, melodious trill. But it grew old, and the inevitable happened. After several hours of work, I came up with this mount as a lasting memory for her. She loves it, and I'm very happy to have been able to preserve such a special bond.

We are ready to take care of that bird you loved so much and have kept frozen for years, waiting for the right person to do the magic.

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Send a message to learn more

19/06/2024

It was a great experience working in collaboration with Bill Embacher on this Wood Duck pair piece. Bill is a very talented bird taxidermist and decoy carver, and a very humble person. I have learned so much from him. Thank you for this opportunity, my friend! Looking forward to collaborating in more projects together in the future.

Details of the finished work coming soon!

17/06/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEBIHSwawsQ
Thank you, Ben! Art of Taxidermy

It's been a long journey for us to reach this point, and your amazing videos have undoubtedly had a significant impact on the quality of the birds we are currently producing.

We highly recommend not only following you on social media in general, but also subscribing to your YouTube channel. The "Members Only" section is the best part! Your methods simply work great and are compatible with both competition/museum-quality and high-standard commercial taxidermy environments.

We appreciate your passion and commitment to sharing your knowledge, mistakes, and successes while trying different techniques and products on a daily basis. Please keep producing those educational videos to help people elevate their skills as taxidermists to their maximum potential.

13/06/2024

The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a species of fish-eating duck and is the only merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America. The generic name derives from the Greek: lophos meaning 'crest', and dytes meaning 'diver.'

Despite being one of the smallest merganser species, the Hooded Merganser is incredibly agile. They can take off from the water almost vertically, a skill not common among diving ducks that helps them escape predators quickly.

They have elaborate courtship behavior and territorial displays, with the males inflating their throats and exhibiting ritualistic movements. This duck nests in tree holes, sometimes up to 15 feet above the ground, from where the precocial ducklings jump without suffering any harm, only a few hours after hatching.

Thanks to Carmine Bonaco for bringing us this beautiful bird. Keep giving them a heart attack man! 😂

12/06/2024

Why Aix Taxidermy? 🦆
Where does our business name come from? 🤔
How do you pronounce Aix?

With a background in wildlife research from our time in our home country, we wanted to give our small family business a scientific touch. That's how "Aix Taxidermy" was born.

The name "Aix" comes from the scientific names of the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) and the Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata), two of the most beautiful ducks in the world. According to the Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names, "Aix" is derived from Ancient Greek and refers to an "unknown diving bird mentioned by Aristotle, not further identified, but conjectured to be a small goose, a grebe, or a duck." The pronunciation of Aix is simple—just like the letter "X."

These ducks are unique in their kind, also called "perching ducks," with the Wood Duck being particularly common in the United States and one of the most frequently hunted species of waterfowl, making it a popular choice for taxidermy trophies in this country.

Pictures downloaded from Pexel.com
Mandarin Duck by Andy Bear
Wood Duck by Loerg Hartmann

11/06/2024

Finally, a dream came true. The New England Association of Taxidermists show offered us the opportunity to compete for the first time and to win these incredible awards.
With that, we are officially opening our doors to those who love wildlife art.
Welcome to our family business, Aix Taxidermy. We specialize in upland, waterfowl, and exotic bird taxidermy.

10/06/2024

Oldsquaw/Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis). One of my favorites.

Their breeding habitat includes tundra pools and marshes, as well as sea coasts and large mountain lakes in the North Atlantic region, Alaska, northern Canada, northern Europe, and Russia. 🥶🥶🥶

During winter, the males exhibit fancy long tail feathers that wiggle and wave around to impress the females.

These ducks are also impressive divers, capable of up to 200 feet (60 meters) deep immersions in search of food. That’s way deeper than any other duck. It feeds mostly on crustaceans, mussels, and small fish. Actually, it's fat smells like fish, a common feature of sea ducks.

Thanks Timothy Clark for the opportunity to work with this beautiful bird.