My spouse and I visited the National Aviary on a Saturday
afternoon in mid-October 2017. The aviary is open daily from 10:00 am until
5:00 pm. Admission costs $15 per adult, with supplements for special encounters
(for example, $3 to feed the rainbow lorikeets, $5 for a live show, $8 for a
flight simulator). You can also book private experiences with a penguin, bird
of prey, owl, or sloth for an additional charge of $40 to $150, depending on
the chosen animal. Limited parking is available in a dedicated lot; however,
additional parking is available on surrounding streets. The aviary offers
restrooms, two gift shops, and a food counter (called Atria's Kookaburra Kitchen).
The aviary is located on Pittsburgh’s Northside in Allegheny Commons West Park near the Children’s Museum. It offers both indoor and outdoor
experiences. The Aviary opened in 1952
on land that once held the original location of Phipps Conservatory (now
located in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh campus). The city operated
the Aviary until 1991, when it became privately owned. The US Congress awarded
it “national” status in 1993 because it is America's only independent indoor nonprofit zoo
dedicated to birds, even surpassing the collection at the National Zoo in
Washington DC.
The collection contains more than 500 birds of 150 different
species from around the world, including some that are endangered, and others
that are rarely seen in other zoos or aviaries. Note that not every bird is on
display at one time; for example, the aviary owns a bald eagle, but we were not
able to see him on the day that we visited. The aviary offers three different
walk-through exhibits that feature free-flying birds. One such area features
tiny birds, but the other two are more expansive, with soaring glass atriums,
lush foliage, and water features. Themed areas include the Condor Court, Cloud
Forest, Wetlands, Tropical Rainforest, Grasslands, and Canary’s Call. The
aviary also provides posted educational information regarding nature and
wildlife conservation.
We only had an hour to spend at the National Aviary, which
wasn’t enough time to enjoy all the features and displays. (We visited after
attending a nearby college football game at Heinz Field.) Next visit, we’ll
plan to spend a half-day there.
