A Place You’ll Want to “Tweet” About

Do you love birds? And have you not seen a lot of them lately, no matter how often you refill your bird feeder or put your bird-calling skills to the test? Or, are you just tired of seeing the same types of birds appear over and over in your backyard? Then the National Aviary is the place for you!

The National Aviary is located in the Allegheny Commons neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh. Opened in 1952, it is the largest aviary in the United States. It is home to over 500 birds, made up of 150 different species. Many bird species have become threatened or endangered, which is why one of the aviary’s goals is to save and protect endangered species of birds. The aviary is also focused on providing educational, recreational, and hands-on experiences to visitors by allowing them to not only view different types of birds both rare and common but to also touch and even feed these birds. 

One of the newest exhibits at the aviary is Canary’s Call. It was opened on November 8, 2013. It contains a larger than life canary cage, which makes for an amazing visual and interactive experience. Many TripAdvisor reviewers have stated that this was the highlight of their visit, not only because they got to view the canaries up close but also because they got to feed the canaries. One reviewer in particular said that it was interesting to see how the canaries “swoop down on you when they see you have some food.” This exhibit also contains Malaysian Flying Foxes, a species of fruit bats from Asia. In addition, it contains 178 back-lit LED panels for visitors to view videos and photos of canaries and other bird types.

Condor Court, one of the aviary’s outdoor exhibits, is home to the Andean Condor, one of the world’s largest birds. This bird has a wingspan of 10 feet. This may be the closest encounter you’ll ever have to condors: there are glass viewing panels that allow you to see these beautiful creatures up close. One TripAdvisor reviewer stated that it was fun to see condors up close, rather than seeing them flying from a distance, which he had also done before when he visited California. Condor Court is home to four Andean Condors: Lurch, Precious, Handsome, and Lianni. 

The Eagle Hall is home to two different types of eagles. One of these is the Steller’s Sea Eagle, which has a wingspan of 6.5 to 8 feet. The other is the bald eagle, which is one of the most recognizable, as well as one of the largest, birds in North America. The bald eagle is also known for being Pennsylvania’s state bird. One reviewer on TripAdvisor stated that she believed the aviary “rescued” the eagles by bringing them there.

Everyone knows that Pittsburgh is home to penguins, and not just the ones who are back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. Penguins can also be found at in Pittsburgh at the zoo and at the aviary, but for this post, let’s just take a look at the ones at the aviary’s Penguin Point exhibit. It’s the home to 20 African penguins. It’s an open-air exhibit, allowing visitors to see penguins swim, waddle, and just be overall interesting and cute creatures. Penguin Point also contains Smews. Smews are a duck species native to Europe, Russia, and northern Asia. I asked my mom, who has been to the aviary quite a few times recently, about her experience at Penguin Point. She said despite the fact that the penguins are very noisy and very messy, they’re great creatures to observe. She said the exhibit allows you to view the penguins from inside through a glass pool, or to go outside and see them from the top of the pool. She also said that there are tubes designed for children to climb through to feel like they’re swimming with the penguins. She said that overall, the way that the exhibit incorporates interaction with the penguins is what makes it so interesting.

Now, despite the fact that it’s called an “aviary”, the National Aviary is not completely bird-oriented. Some of its exhibits also focus on plants, as well as other types of animals. One of these exhibits is the Tropical Rainforest, which is both plant-oriented and bird-oriented. And naturally, the birds here are mainly tropical birds such as parrots. One reviewer on TripAdvisor said that the birds in this exhibit were “very colorful and very vocal.” There is also the Grasslands exhibit, which is also focused on both birds and plants. The birds in this exhibit are the kind you’d probably find in your backyard, such as finches and sparrows. It includes greenery such as sea oats, bayberry, birch, and dogwood. One TripAdvisor reviewer said that this exhibit contains “a place to sit while you listen to quiet music, accompanied by the cheeps and chirps of the quietest little birds.” In the Cloud Forest exhibit, you can see an animal who, despite not being a bird, is one of the aviary’s most popular animals. It’s a two-toed sloth who goes by the name of Wookie. There’s also a baby sloth named Valentino. A lot of people on TripAdvisor were surprised to come to the aviary and find a sloth, such as one reviewer who said, “Who would expect to find a sloth in an aviary? An extra added bonus to a great place!”

It’s worth mentioning that the aviary includes several encounters. If you purchase these extra encounters, you can expand your experience at the aviary; you can not only observe the animals but also get up close and personal with them. This includes getting to go inside the exhibits themselves and actually getting to feed the animals, pet the animals, etc. Many people on TripAdvsior have said that these encounters are some of the best parts of the aviary. My mom told me about one unique encounter in particular, where paint is put on the penguins’ feet and they walk on pieces of paper; children then can take these “penguin paintings” home as souvenirs. One recurring complaint I saw across TripAdvisor about the encounters is that they are expensive. This is why my mom recommends getting a membership to the National Aviary. Getting a membership provides several perks, such as free admission, free parking, discounts at the gift shop and cafeteria, etc., but it also allows for access to all of the encounters without paying the additional price. One package in particular includes a dual membership to the nearby Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. You can purchase memberships on the aviary’s website.

Whether you want to talk to birds, feed them, or simply observe them, there’s no better place to do these things than the National Aviary in Pittsburgh.