The Bird House. Photograph courtesy of Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute will be reopening their bird house on March 13. The 30,000-square-foot space will be the largest zoo exhibit to explore the migratory patterns of birds and waterfowl across the Americas. There will be over 170 birds of at least 71 different species in the building and surrounding outdoor exhibits.
Visitors will explore recreations of various ecosystems that birds migrate through, such as the shores of the Delaware Bay, the freshwater marshes of the Midwest called Prairie Potholes, and a tropical “Coffee Farm” to gain a better understanding of the importance of migratory birds and how to live a bird-friendly lifestyle.
Smithsonian National Zoo members will be able to preview the newest exhibit from March 3 through 13, and it will open to the public after. Visitors will need to reserve timed-entry passes for the first few months the exhibit is open, in an effort to acclimate the birds to visitors. The passes will be available online or at the zoo’s visitor center.
Ruddy ducks in the Prairie Pothole aviary. Photograph courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.Visitors can find barred owls at the outdoor bird plateau. Photograph courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.The tropical bird-friendly Coffee Farm aviary. Photograph by Carmen Honker.As visitors head toward the aviaries they pass through the Flyaway path. Photograph courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.The Delaware Bay is one of three aviaries in the bird house. Photograph courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.Short billed dowitcher dunlin sanderlings. Photograph courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.Black-necked stilts at the Prairie Pothole aviary. Photograph by Carmen Honker.An employee is attaching an aluminium band to a white-throated sparrow for identification purposes, before releasing it back to the wild. This process is called banding. Photograph by Carmen Honker.Birds have foods such as bananas, grapes, and mealworms hanging in trees and in containers around the Coffee Farm aviary. Photograph by Carmen Honker.
Keely recently graduated with her master’s in journalism from American University and has reported on local DC, national politics, and business. She has previously written for The Capitol Forum.
