The oldest surviving example of bird taxidermy is believed to be Frances Stuarts' (the Duchess of Richmond and Lennox) African Grey Parrot, which can still be seen in Westminster Abbey, London. The bird died soon after its mistress in 1702 and X-rays show that it was preserved in a rather crude manner, which makes the parrot's survival all these years even more remarkable.
In the Westminster Abbey Museum is a life size (5 feet 8 inches) wax effigy of Frances Teresa (Stuart), Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, with her pet African grey parrot on a stand beside her (which is the oldest stuffed bird in the country).
Source: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/frances-teresa-stuart
