NC ZOO
supervisor, “Birds are not sitting on
nests or feeding chicks, so they are
more active and visible throughout the
exhibit. Of course, the indoor aviary is
comfortably warm.”
LO
AS
IS A
T
The tropical aviary houses more
than 100 birds, representing 30 to
40 species. In the wild, they come
from rainforests all over the world:
hot, humid areas with more than 100
inches of rain each year. The aviary
is the geographical crossroads of the
zoo, bringing together birds of the world
and also linking the zoo’s two major
continental zones.
n
aro
A
C
PInie B
RO la
Y TBy Me
BIRDS ENJO
The weather
outside is chilly, but there’s a tropical
oasis at the North Carolina Zoo.
“Winter is the best time of year to
visit the aviary because the summer
breeding season is over,” says Wendy
Wadsworth, a zoo animal management
the seeds to grow in new locations.
Wadsworth suggests visitors enter the
aviary quietly, sit on a bench and listen.
The birds live in a thick canopy of trees,
and they move around and call out. Bring
binoculars to follow the sounds to spot
even the tiniest birds. If it’s too loud
to try that technique, pay attention to
posted feeding times. At those times,
especially the 9:30 a.m. daily feeding,
most species are out and easy to see.
Throughout the day, though, birds stop
by their feeding bowls for a snack.
Melanie Baron is a freelance w ɥѕȰ)