Date of visit: July 16, 2017 The National Aviary is one of only two stand-alone AZA accredited aviaries in the United States, and is located in Pittsburgh. I really enjoyed my visit to this facility, and have decided to post a more recent species list/review than those already on this site, as previous reviews tended to portray it negatively; mostly due to (now-demolished) bad cages that unfortunately seem to have previously littered the facility. However, on my visit, exhibit quality was mostly excellent, and it seems that a new director in more recent years has led to a score of changes for the better. This facility is primarily indoors, with the main outdoor exhibit being Condor Court (easily seen when approaching it, but more on that later). I entered through the back entrance, where the parking lot is located, after a brief tussle with the parking machine (apparently, my $5 are not of high enough quality to be accepted by it!) and was greeted by a nice view of the Rose Garden (an outdoor lawn and event area, also home to the animal encounter tent) and a humble gift shop. Admission is a bit pricey for the extent of the facility, at $15 a person and then an additional $5 per bird show (though only one was operating when I visited). I decided to add on that show, the indoor “Nature’s Voice” show, as well as an araçari feeding. The Aviary is made up of three indoor walk-through exhibits and a few stand-alone exhibits located both inside and out. Generally, they exhibits are themed with animals from a certain habitat (i.e. Wetlands or Rainforest) rather than a specific geographic area. This results in some odd mixes, and in the Wetlands exhibit I saw three species of ibis from two different continents! It is, however, effective in demonstrating the differences between various habitats, which some facilities fail to do adequately. From the back entrance, the first exhibit reached is the stand-alone Cloud Forest exhibit. It’s an inside exhibit viewed through glass, and is home to the following species: Keel-billed toucan, Ramphastos sulfratus Greater roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus Plush-crested jay, Cyanocorax chrysops Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth, Choloepus didactylus This made up 50% of the Aviary’s mammal collection at the time, but as I understand it they have now acquired a three-banded armadillo. The exhibit is not particularly spacious, but I feel it does a good enough job housing the species it does. The roadrunner is out-of-place both geographically and habitat-wise, and I feel it would be better-placed in the nearby Grasslands exhibit, but perhaps the animal is rather aggressive and is therefore not suited to a walk-through exhibit. The first and smallest walkthrough exhibit is Grasslands, though once again there is some inconsistency between the name of the exhibit and where the animals within it are found. The birds in here are all passerines, bar the bobwhite quail, and it is pleasant to just sit and listen to their pleasant songs when the exhibit is mostly unoccupied by visitors. Four of the species in the exhibit were lifers for me, which was a pleasant surprise as I was only expecting three. The species are as follows: Eastern paradise whydah, Vidua paradisaea* Scissor-tailed flycatcher, Tyrannus forticatus Sudan golden sparrow, Passer luteus* Turquoise tanager, Tangara mexicana Black-faced dacnis, Dacnis lineata* Green singing finch, Serinus mozambicus Double-barred owl finch, Taeniopygia bichenovii Gouldian finch, Erythrura gouldiae Cut-throat finch, Amadina fasciata Southern red bishop, Euplectes orix Taveta golden weaver, Ploceus castaneiceps Bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus Saipan bridled white-eye, Zosterops (conspicillatus) saypani* *represents a new species for myself. I enjoyed this exhibit thoroughly. For the most part, the birds were quite active, as finches tend to be. Very few institutions display scissor-tailed flycatchers or Saipan white-eyes, and although I had seen the former wild the year before it is still one of my favorite birds. The furnishings themselves for the birds were done well. Two areas are retreats away from the path, so the birds may take shelter from visitors if they desire, but the skylights (the primarily (only?) source of light) in the room are adjacent to the visitor path so that is where the birds are encouraged to be. Signage in this exhibit was subpar in that it didn’t really provide an accurate list of species displayed. Of my list, three species were unsigned, and three species that were signed were no longer in the exhibit. From an animal’s point-of-view, though, the exhibit succeeds and I have few qualms about it. The second and largest walkthrough exhibit found in the building occupies the entirety of the space that the aviary once was, when it was first founded. It is Wetlands, and is divided primarily into visitor paths, a large water feature, and a heavily planted section. A number of birds may not be seen for weeks in this exhibit, but I am proud to say that after much persistence I was able to find them all. In addition to a myriad of free-flying species, there are three stand-alone aviaries within the exhibit home to a few more species. These three exhibits are nothing special in size, but the furnishings were lusher than most zoos would have. The species in the first aviary are: White-crested laughingthrush, Garrulax leucolophus Palawan peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron napoleonis The second aviary is split into three sections at present, to separate individuals that would otherwise be aggressive to each other due to the nature of their species. When separate, they are the smallest and worst aviaries of the section, which is unfortunate especially when considering the species contained within: Non-subspecific Raggiana bird-of-paradise, Paradisaea raggiana (x2) Empress of Germany’s bird-of-paradise, Paradisaea raggiana augustavictoriae* The third of these exhibits is almost a carbon copy of the first, bar the species exhibited: White-cheeked turaco, Tauraco leucotis Grey-winged trumpeter, Psophia crepitans The free flight area is much larger than many zoos’ walk-through aviaries, and certainly home to a much higher number of species (and, of course, zoological rarities). Species from North and South America, Africa, and Asia are displayed, with a focus on species living near water, though I feel some would be more accurately placed in the Rainforest exhibit. To have the best chance of seeing as many species as possible, and to get up-closed views of some of the species which otherwise lurk far away from the path, I recommend visiting this exhibit at 1:30pm for the feeding. I saw almost every species I had missed earlier when I returned to the exhibit at this time, and some visitors were even invited to feed the birds themselves. The free-flying species in this exhibit are: Black-faced ibis, Theristicus melanopis Scarlet ibis, Eudocimus ruber Hadada ibis, Bostrychia hagedash Blue-gray tanager, Thraupis episcopus Black-faced tanager, Scistochlamys melanopis* Crested oropendola, Psarocolius decumanus Giant cowbird, Molothrus oryzivorus* Venezuelan troupial, Icterus icterus Screaming piha, Lipaugus vociferans Spangled cotinga, Cotinga cayana Golden-breasted starling, Lamprotornis regius Yellow-hooded blackbird, Chrysomus icterocephalus Scarlet-headed blackbird, Amblyramphus holosericeus* Bali mynah, Leucospar rothschildi Blue-crowned motmot, Motmotus momota Guira cuckoo, Guira guira Blue-bellied roller, Coracias cyanogaster Green woodhoopoe, Phoeniculus purpureus Bearded barbet, Lybius dubius Ringed teal, Callonetta leucophyrs Hooded merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus Scaly-sided merganser, Mergus squamatus African pygmy-goose, Nettapus auritus North American ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis Rosy-billed pochard, Netta peposaca West Indian whistling duck, Dendrocygna arborea American brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis Greater x American flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus x ruber Chilean x American flamingo, Phoenicopterus chilensis x ruber American flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber New Guinea masked lapwing, Vanellus miles miles Palawan peacock pheasant, Polyplectron napoleonis Green-naped pheasant-pigeon, Otidiphaps nobilis Boat-billed heron, Cochlearius cochlearius Snowy egret, Egretta thula Inca tern, Larosterna inca Javan pond heron, Ardeola speciosa Wattled curassow, Crax globulosa White-throated ground dove, Gallicolumba xanthonura White-tailed trogon, Trogon chionurus As I headed to exit the exhibit, I was delighted to find that the Aviary simulates rain in this exhibit. Sprinklers turned on over the birds’ part of the exhibit and it rained for a short time. I know of no other rain simulations in American walkthrough exhibits, and also saw a relatively positive reaction from visitors around me. The birds are clearly stimulated by this as well, and many became more active during and after the rain. I heard more deafening screams by the piha, the wattled curassow decided to show off some more for visitors as it strolled the public paths, and the nests of oropendolas rocked far above as some emerged. Conveniently, the time I had scheduled to view the show coincided with the time that I at the FliteZone Theater where it was held. The show was called Nature’s Voice, and it certainly had a unique theme. There was one extremely unfortunate policy enacted in the theater, though: no photography was permitted. This particularly peeved me because I knew I was about to see two lifers, as well as a few other rarely-seen species. Prior to the show, four visitors received metal sticks with meatballs to be used later in the show, and I was grateful to be one of the four chosen. When the show began, the lights were dimmed and a screen in the back of the theater was illuminated. A strange voice began to describe the reverence that some ancient cultures held for birds, and then invited the visitors in attendance to view presentations of some of these birds. The first bird presented was: Eurasian eagle-owl, Bubo bubo According to the voice, these birds symbolized the goddess of wisdom, Athena, in Greek culture. This was followed by a hop to North America, and video described how some Native Americans valued burrowing owls. The second bird shown, accordingly, was a Burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia This bird flew onto a small stand alone structure with many tunnels in it, and proceeded to maneuver these tunnels which represented burrows. Another bird valued by some peoples was the Harris’ hawk; however, on the day of my visit, it was substituted by an Augur buzzard, Buteo augur* After this, we ventured to Africa, where some vultures were apparently considered sacred. A Palm-nut vulture, Gypohierax angolensis appeared on the stage, flew for a few bouts over the audience’s heads, and then made a swift exit. After this, visitors with meatballs were instructed to raise them over their heads, and then a flock of Silver gulls, Larus novaehollandae* flew over visitors and ate the meatballs as they circled overhead. The indigenous cultures of South and Central America and the animals they revered were then discussed at length, complemented by a pair of Green-winged macaws, Ara chloropterus. At this point, the show was complete, and a last bird was a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot, Amazona aestiva which perched on a box into which it would put visitors’ donations. The theme of the show was certainly unique, but the constant switch between dark lighting and a disembodied voice spewing facts and dim lighting with a keeper speaking was disconcerting and ineffective. The no-photography-allowed policy was quite annoying, combined with the $5 fee to view the show. The Skydeck show seems to have been discontinued, but it was outside on the Aviary’s roof. After the show, it was nearly time for the scheduled araçari feeding, so I got my hand stamped and exited the aviary and waited until the proper time in the Rose Garden, which was nicely adorned with different types of foliage. At the proper time, I joined the queue for the feeding with ticket in hand. Visitors were admitted in groups of about ten, and I was surprised to see the high number of people in line: certainly at least forty people! Three birds were rotated by group of people. The species were: Curl-crested araçari, Pteroglossus beauharnaesii Green araçari, P. viridis The group lined up in a row, with their arms outstretched, and the keepers would encourage the bird to move to the next person in line with a food incentive. I was last in this line and got to enjoy a little extra time with the curl-crested araçari as a few people asked questions or photographed the bird. The experience was $5 and was definitely worth it for bird enthusiasts, and even people who aren’t. I then ventured into the facility’s café, and was delighted to find that unlike many AZA-accredited institutions, the food was reasonably priced and relatively good. As I ate, I was able to watch a pair of Laughing kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguinea in their enclosure. This exhibit was the first I saw that was rather unappealing. The exhibit was shoved off to one side of the room and not well lit, as well as being a tad on the small side, but it is certainly better than their previous accommodation, if the ZooChat gallery is to be trusted. After this, I entered the last of three walk-through exhibits: the Rainforest. It was the first such exhibit that I felt adequately represented the high level of foliage found in this biome in the wild, but that unfortunately made the exhibit rather dark as the visitors were only at ground level. Three stand alone parrot-on-a-stick enclosures are found here, containing: Palm cockatoo, Probosciger aterrimus Green-winged macaw, Ara chloropterus Hyacinth macaw, Andorhynchus hyacinthus I will say these are still among the best exhibits for (presumably) wing-clipped or pinioned parrots I have seen. Each was a mass of branches with many enrichment devices spread throughout. Beyond that, each species was free-flight in the large and lush room: Nicobar pigeon, Caloenas nicobarica Pied imperial-pigeon, Ducula bicolor Black-naped fruit dove, Ptilinopus melanospilus Green-winged dove, Chalcophaps indica Victoria crowned pigeon, Goura victoria Southern bald ibis, Geronticus calvus Purple-throated fruitcrow, Querula purpurata Red-legged honeycreeper, Cyanerpes cyaneus* White-eared catbird, Ailuroedus buccoides Black-headed gonolek, Lanarius erythrogaster* Oriental magpie-robin, Copsychus saularis Hooded pitta, Pitta sordida Saipan bridled white-eye, Zosterops (conspicillatus) saypani Asian fairy bluebird, Irena puella Guam rail, Gallirallus owstoni Crested coua, Coua cristata cristata Malay great argus pheasant, Argusianus argus Marbled teal, Marmaronetta angustirostris New Guinea masked lapwing, Vanellus miles miles A few species were signed but not present, typical of most of the facility. Furthermore, I’ve found a number of species listed on the website not present anywhere at the facility. I tend to be lenient with such things, but as the third major exhibit with at least some incorrect signage, I became slightly annoyed. However, the exhibit itself is still a success in terms of both animals and visitors. Many visitors were intrigued by the birds and had a chat with the friendly docents, and this exhibit has had much breeding success, most recently with Guam rail chicks which hatched on exhibit. Past the Rainforest exhibit, the visitor enters Canary’s Call, which is supposed to be centered on the effects that humans have on various environments and the animals within them. Museum-style displays are used here but are rather ineffective, as they are often on the opposite side of the hallway than the animals exhibited, and as such, few visitors are compelled to read them. The first exhibit seems to have no particular theme and is a mix of vastly different animals from different continents: Malayan flying fox, Pteropus vampyrus African jacana, Actiphilornis africanus Spangled cotinga, Cotinga cayana Crested wood partridge, Rollulus roulroul Red-billed leiothrix, Leiothrix lutea Silver-beaked tanager, Ramphocelus carbo While perfectly acceptable (if a bit bare, which is a common theme in this exhibit) for the birds, this exhibit did not succeed in exhibiting the Aviary’s second mammal species. There was little available flying space for them, and I did not see any misters or enrichment devices which based on my knowledge of flying fox husbandry (mostly gained during a well-spent couple of hours meeting with the staff of Lubee Bat Conservancy) these should more or less be considered necessities. The next exhibit is a cage-style exhibit for a popular cagebird: Domestic canary, Serinus canaria domestica Two cage-style exhibits connected by mesh; small in height and with little room for flight: is this the message that the modern zoological facility should be sending to visitors? Though many cages that caged songbirds are kept privately in are far worse, I think the aviary missed a chance to make a statement about the (often illegal) pet trade with this exhibit. It is not glamorous for exhibiting the trademark species of the exhibit. Next are three rather small exhibits, in quick succession, each occupying an oddly triangle-shaped corner. The third is quite thankfully larger than the other two, but I would never rank any of these three exhibits as examples of what today’s exhibits should be like. They are for, in order: Tawny frogmouth, Podargus strigoides Guam kingfisher, Todiramphus cinnamominus cinnamominus Rhinoceros hornbill, Buceros rhinoceros Sadly, things get even more grim with the hall’s final exhibit. It is technically a walkthrough exhibit, but visitors are only able to view from outside without paying an additional fee to feed the inhabitants, a group of Rainbow lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus. The exhibit is bare, with little foliage and a hard concrete floor. I did not enter, but it certainly would not give the open feeling that the aviary’s two larger walkthrough exhibits give, and it actually seems quite claustrophobic. Without a doubt, Canary’s Call is the weakest area of the aviary and, built in 2013, it is a disappointment for such a relatively new exhibit. The Main Hall is the last major indoor exhibit of the facility. It consists of four main sets of exhibits, but each is small in comparison to the others described so I have combined them. The largest and best are for two species of eagle. There are two netted exhibits with perches for: Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus Steller’s sea eagle, H. pelagicus Unfortunately, both species were off exhibit during my visit, and while the bald eagle exhibit looked fine for rescued and non-flighted birds, the one for the Steller’s sea eagle was a bit cramped if the birds wanted to fly, and they certainly wouldn’t be able to fly far if they tried. Near these exhibits is where program animals are brought out several times a day. I saw the following species: Eurasian eagle-owl, Bubo bubo Spectacled owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata Green-winged macaw, Ara chloropterus Down the hallway, the aviary’s Avian Care Center is seen. It is home to a number of individuals which cannot live in the aviary’s main exhibits for various reasons. The species exhibited are: American flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber (chicks being hand-reared) Scarlet-headed blackbird, Amblyramphus holosericeus Call duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus Snowy egret, Egretta thula Golden-breasted starling, Lamprotornis regius The next exhibit of the hall is Penguin Point. It is a relative simple rocky exhibit for: African penguin, Spheniscus demersus Smew, Mergellus albellus Underwater viewing is limited to indoors, but visitors may go outdoors to see the birds if they so desire. There are also pop-up bubbles for children and children-at-heart to view the animals from. Lastly in this hallway is a stand-alone exhibit for Burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia which is the last unfortunate exhibit of the aviary. It lacks height and I would be surprised if the animals are capable of flight at all, with only 1-2 feet of vertical space available. Outside, the premier exhibit is Condor Court, a large divided aviary for a pair of Andean condor, Vultur gryphus The condors can be separated or allowed to mingle through their off-exhibit holdings, but the net impeding flight space unfortunately seems permanent, another example of a somewhat-failed bird-of-prey exhibit. However, I have seen much worse at other facilities and this relatively new exhibit is still a success. Three other stand-alone aviaries are found outdoors. One was empty on my visit. Another was home to this odd mix: African pygmy falcon, Polihierax semitorquatus Cabot’s tragopan, Tragopan caboti And lastly, the second-largest outdoor exhibit was a good exhibit for: Demoiselle crane, Anthropoides virgo Golden pheasant, Chrysolophus pictus Hammerkop, Scopus umbretta That wraps up the National Aviary! It was very fun to visit as a rising bird enthusiast, and I think it may be one of the first zoological facilities where I’ve seen every species on exhibit. I would certainly recommend a visit to anyone in the area, especially if they like birds, for the Pittsburgh Zoo is quite devoid of them. Despite my few gripes, the National Aviary seems to be rising to greatness under its new director, last year welcoming over 200,000 visitors. I hope the facility grows successfully and I look forward to one day revisiting! By the way, I’d appreciate if anyone would leave feedback on my new style of reviewing! Thanks for reading!
This is an excellent post! Thank you for providing such a detailed list of the birds and the exhibits. I appreciated the added commentary because it's coming from someone who clearly has seen a lot of zoos and examined a lot of exhibits. Thank you!
A thoroughly enjoyable read! Great at painting a picture of this very interesting zoo from across the pond!
