Our Birds

African Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus

FUN FACT

African Grey Parrots are highly intelligent and are considered by many to be perhaps the most intelligent parrot species. American scientist Irene Pepperberg’s work with “Alex” the African Grey Parrot showed his ability to learn more than 100 words and to differentiate objects, colors, materials, and shapes!

African Grey Parrots, a medium-sized parrot native to the forests of central Africa, are some of the best mimics in the bird world. In the wild, this species often copies the sounds of other animals in the forest. Around people, they may learn to copy a variety of sounds including laughter, a phone ringing, whistling, human speech, and many other sounds. Two African Grey Parrots roosting in Zaire were reported by researchers to have a repertoire of over 200 different sounds, including nine imitations of other wild bird songs and even one of a bat! This species is widely believed the be one of the most intelligent bird species. African Greys can live to be 60 years old. While their charismatic personalities and mimicry make them popular, they can be very challenging to keep as pets. This species is vulnerable to the illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss and destruction.

African Grey Parrot

Psittacus erithacus
Afrotropical

Habitat

Lowland primary and secondary forest, forest edges, forest fragments, and forest clearings, gallery forest, savanna woodland, farms, plantations, and mangroves

Diet

Fruits, seeds, nuts, and leaves

Status

Endangered

Breeding

African Grey Parrots are monogamous and not much is known of their courtship displays in the wild. They make their nests in hollow tree cavities and generally lay between 1 and 4 white eggs. The eggs take approximately 28 days to hatch and the young birds remain with their parents for 4 months or more.

African Penguin Spheniscus demersus

FUN FACT

The pink markings around an African Penguin’s eyes are glands that help them regulate their body temperature and stay cool.

African Penguins are native to the southwestern coast of Africa, and are one of the 18 species of penguins found throughout the Southern Hemisphere. They are also among the smallest penguins, standing about 18 inches tall and weighing 6 to 10 pounds. They are a temperate species comfortable in a wide range of temperatures, making them well-suited for life in Penguin Point at the National Aviary. African Penguins can’t fly, but they are extremely agile swimmers. They use their wings like paddles and their webbed feet like flippers to propel themselves through the water at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour! Sadly, this species faces many challenges, like overfishing and human encroachment on nesting grounds, and could be extinct in the wild in as little as 10 years.

African Penguin

Spheniscus demersus
Afrotropical
Penguin Encounter

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Interactive Penguin Feeding

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Habitat

Warm coastal beaches

Diet

Fish and squid

Status

Endangered

Breeding

African Penguins nest in caves, usually laying two eggs per season. Eggs incubate for 38 days and both parents share incubation duties.

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African Pygmy-Goose Nettapus auritus

FUN FACT

The African Pygmy-Goose is the smallest species of waterfowl in the world. It weighs only a little more than a half a pound!

Weighing just over half a pound, the African Pygmy-Goose is the smallest species of waterfowl in the world! This goose inhabits swamps, marshes, shallow freshwater lakes, and slow-flowing rivers in Africa which have abundant aquatic vegetation. Here it feeds primarily on seeds, leaves, and flowers of various aquatic plants, and nests in a variety of situations. The African Pygmy-Goose is not globally threatened, but populations are adversely affected by introduced fish, like tilapia, and by the invasive aquatic water hyacinth, which tends to take over waterways.

African Pygmy-Goose

Nettapus auritus
Afrotropical

Habitat

Swamps, marshes, shallow freshwater lakes and slow-flowing rivers with abundant aquatic vegetation, especially water lilies

Diet

Seeds, leaves, and flowers of various aquatic plants; also aquatic invertebrates and, rarely, small fish

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

The African Pygmy-Goose nests in tree holes (especially old woodpecker and barbet holes) in or near standing water and sometimes in old Hamerkop nests, crowns of palm trees, and in holes in cliffs. Females incubate 6-12 eggs for 3-4 weeks.

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American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos

FUN FACT 

American Crows are very intelligent and capable of recognizing individual humans by their facial features. They are known to attack or scold individuals who have disturbed them in the past; they also are known to give things (found tokens) to people who have helped them.

The American Crow occurs in a wide range of habitats in North America and can be found in rural farmland, suburbs, and even urban and residential areas. This species requires little more than large trees for roosting and nesting, and open ground for foraging. Much of the success of the American Crow lies in its highly varied and flexible diet, which may include fruits, nuts, seeds, insects and other invertebrates, small vertebrates of many kinds, carrion, and even human food scraps. A member of the Corvid family, American Crows are known for their intelligence and cunning. Young have been observed playing with objects they find on the ground and “log-rolling”: running atop an object like an empty cup or soda can. Their nest is a large stick nest high in a tree. The American Crow is not of conservation concern.

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos
Nearctic

Habitat

Occupies a wide range of habitats including rural farmland, suburban, urban, commercial, and residential. Needs little more than large trees for roosting and nesting and open ground for foraging

Diet

Highly varied diet including fruits, nuts, seeds, insects and other invertebrates, small vertebrates of many kinds, carrion, and human food scraps

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

The American Crow builds a large stick nest well-hidden about 10-20 meters up in a fork or on a horizontal limb in the upper-third of a tree, usually an evergreen tree. The female lays 4-5 eggs and incubates them alone for 16-19 days. The young are initially fed by the male, and often 3-4 helpers. Young fledge after 30 days; parents continue to feed their young for another 1-2 months.

American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber

FUN FACT

Have you ever seen a flamingo stand on one leg? It may look like their leg is bending backwards, but they are actually bending their ankle! A flamingo’s knee is higher up on the leg, close to the body.

American Flamingos have brilliant feathers that range from pale pink to a deep scarlet red, and get their coloring from the microscopic shrimp and algae in their diet. The depth of their pigmentation indicates how well a flamingo was eating as its feathers grew. Their long neck and legs allow them to wade and forage in water several feet deep. They use their curved bill to strain plankton and other small invertebrates from the water.

American Flamingo

Phoenicopterus ruber
Neotropical
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Habitat

Shallow, salty lagoons and lakes

Diet

Small invertebrates and algae

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

This species builds conical mud nests and lay a single egg, which they incubate for 30 days.

Andean Cock-of-the-rock Rupicola peruvianus

FUN FACT

This spectacularly colored bird is the national bird of Peru.

This spectacular bird, with its bright orange fan-shaped crest, is a resident of montane cloud forests, especially in ravines and along streams, in the Andes Mountains from Venezuela to Bolivia. The Andean Cock-of-the-rock feeds on fruits, large insects, and small vertebrates, and builds a nest mainly of mud lined with coarse vegetable fibers and attached to a rock face. This is a lekking species, with males performing elaborate ritual displays at a communal site where the females determine the winner. Males display in pairs, with each male perched 4–6 meters above the ground. Each bird performs ritualized bowing and head-bobbing displays towards the other, with much jumping, wing-flapping, bill-snapping, and calling; displaying intensifies when females approach. The Andean Cock-of-the-rock is not globally threatened, but it is very localized in its distribution.

Andean Cock-of-the-rock

Rupicola peruvianus
Neotropical

Habitat

Montane forest, especially in ravines and along streams

Diet

Fruits, large insects, and small vertebrates, the latter especially to feed to its young

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Males display at a communal lek, and groups of nests are often relatively close together. The nest is a truncated cone-shaped construction of mud, affixed to the rock face. The clutch size is 2 eggs; incubation period is 28 days; fledging occurs after 42-48 days.

Andean Condor Vultur gryphus

FUN FACT

The wingspan of an Andean Condor can reach over 10 feet!

Andean Condors are among the largest flying birds, with a body weight of up to 30 pounds and a wingspan of over 10 feet. They are mostly black with large white patches on their wings and the distinctive bald head for which vultures are known. Condors have no feathers on their heads which facilitates cleaning after they have been feeding on carrion (after a meal, condors can frequently be seen wiping their heads on the ground to clean themselves off). Their diet primarily includes large land mammals, but condors have been seen feeding on the carcasses of seals and whales near the coast. Andean Condors may travel 150 miles a day in search of food and they often feed in groups. As scavengers, Andean Condors act as a natural clean-up crew, eating dead animals before they become a health risk to humans. In addition, the direct exposure of their skin to the disinfecting properties of ultraviolet light helps eliminate any residual bacteria. The Andean Condor is the only New World vulture that shows obvious differences between males and females. Males have dark eyes and a fleshy crest, called a “caruncle”, on their heads, while females have bright red eyes and lack the crest. Andean Condors may live 50 years or more.

Although they are long-lived, Andean Condors reproduce slowly and are vulnerable to human persecution, including both intentional and secondary poisoning. Since 1989, over 60 of these spectacular birds have hatched in U.S. zoos, and some have been released in the remote regions of the Colombia, including a male chick named Kendall that hatched at the National Aviary in 2003. A female chick named Kachina, hatched at the Aviary in 2007, is currently part of a breeding program at another zoo to help the species’ population grow. The National Aviary currently is partnering with Bioparque Amaru, a zoo in Ecuador, where the population has dwindled to about 25 pairs of adult breeding birds and fewer than 100 condors in all. In 2022, the National Aviary celebrated the hatching of Marijo, the first Andean Condor to hatch in Condor Court!

 

The National Aviary is proud to welcome male Andean Condor Bud to our flock! At 43 years old, Bud comes to us from the Dallas Zoo (tag). Witness the majestic beauty of Bud and Lianni, the largest birds at the National Aviary, alongside their juvenile counterparts, Marijo and Illiman, during your next Aviary visit.

Andean Condor

Vultur gryphus
Neotropical

Habitat

High mountains, including highest peaks (to 5000 m or higher); over open grassland and alpine regions, away from human disturbance and where carrion can be found: rare in forested areas. Also lowland desert regions in Peru and Chile to forage along the shoreline.

Diet

Mostly the carcasses of large land mammals; may also feed on seals and whales

Status

Vulnerable

Breeding

Andean Condors form lifelong pair bonds and build a simple nest on a cliff ledge or in a shallow cave. They usually lay just a single egg and generally reproduce only every other year. Juveniles remain with their parents for two years until being displaced by the next generation; they do not acquire full adult plumage or breed until they are about 6 years old.

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Augur Buzzard Buteo augur

FUN FACT

Augur Buzzards are closely related to the Red-tailed Hawks that are native to Pennsylvania.

Augur Buzzards are one of the most numerous types of hawks in Africa. In the Americas, the term “buzzard” generally refers to vultures, but in the Old World, the word’s original meaning was “hawk.” Augur Buzzards are members of the Buteo genus, a group of hawks found all over the world and known for their broad wings, relatively short tails, and the ability to soar for long periods of time. Like all hawks, Augur Buzzards are strict carnivores and actively hunt a variety of animals, particularly reptiles. Augur Buzzards come in two color phases: dark and light. Dark individuals are uniformly chocolate brown, while light phase birds have a dark hood and back with a bright white chest and stomach. Both color phases have a rusty, brick-red tail, yellow legs, and dark eyes.

Augur Buzzard

Buteo augur
Afrotropical

Habitat

Mountainous or hilly country covered in a patchwork of forest, open woodland, savanna, and grassland; occasionally also hunts over desert

Diet

Primarily reptiles, some small mammals and birds

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Pairs of Augur Buzzards are monogamous during the breeding season, and pairs may remain together for years. They build their nests on cliffs or in sturdy trees and lay 1-3 eggs. The adults begin incubating immediately after the first egg is laid, meaning the first egg hatches several days before the second. This results in chicks of varying ages and sizes, the largest of which will out-compete the smaller chicks. Typically, only one chick per nest survives.

Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

FUN FACT

Bald Eagles are some of the largest birds in North America. Bald Eagles from the northern portions of their range are larger than individuals in the southern limits of their range. Like most raptors, females may be up to 30% larger than males. Overall, the species ranges in size from a 5.5 foot wingspan up to a nearly 8 foot wingspan depending on the sex and origin of the bird.

The Bald Eagle is one of the most readily recognizable birds in North America. They are also one of the largest, with the biggest females reaching 13 pounds or more. And, since 1782, the Bald Eagle has been the national bird of the United States. Bald Eagles are also one of the most well known conservation success stories in the world. In the mid-20th century, Bald Eagle populations suffered a steep decline as a result of persecution, habitat loss, and the introduction of a pesticide called DDT. Large predators, like Bald Eagles, ended up with high concentrations of DDT in their bodies, affecting the birds’ ability to lay eggs with properly formed shells. By 1978, only an estimated 400 Bald Eagle pairs remained in the continental U.S.

Under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, and with reintroduction efforts and the ban of the use of DDT, Bald Eagle populations recovered. In 2007, the Bald Eagle was officially removed from the federal Endangered Species list. There are more than 200 known breeding pairs in Pennsylvania, including two nests in the greater Pittsburgh area, at the Hulton Bridge in Harmar and the Keystone Iron & Metal in Hays.

The Bald Eagles at the National Aviary sustained injuries in the wild that would limit their chances of survival in the wild. They have a comfortable home at the National Aviary where their every need is met, and they serve as ambassadors for their species.

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Nearctic
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Habitat

Typically found near large bodies of water, including shorelines and coastlines, and usually near wooded areas; also utilizes open agricultural fields and marshes

Diet

Opportunistic foragers, eating a variety of live fish, bird, and mammal prey; fish stolen from other piscivores (animal that eats fish); scavanged fish and mammals

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Bald Eagle pairs together build among the largest of all bird nests, usually in the main fork of a tree, but also on the ground and on cliff ledges in treeless areas.

Bali Myna Leucopsar rothschildi

FUN FACT

The Bali Myna is the only endemic (native) bird on the island of Bali. In 1991 it was designated the official faunal emblem of Bali; it also is featured on the Indonesian 200 rupiah coin.

The Bali Myna is a Critically Endangered endemic resident of Bali and surrounding small islands, where fewer than 100 individuals remain. Habitat destruction and capture for the illegal wildlife trade have significantly impacted this species. Community-based conservation efforts are underway to help save this species, as is a robust breeding program in zoos through the Species Survival Plan. In its native habitat, the Bali Myna prefers open woodlands with grass understory, where it frequents the overstory, but the Bali Myna avoids closed forest. This species feeds mostly in the trees, pursuing seeds, fruits, insects, and even small vertebrates such as geckos, but they have been known to perch on the backs of ungulates (mammals such as rhinoceros, tapirs, and boars) to feed on flies and other insects made available by the movements of the large animals. The Bali Myna nests in a natural tree hole or old woodpecker hole which it lines with dry twigs.

Bali Myna

Leucopsar rothschildi
Indo-Malayan

Habitat

Prefers open woodland with grass understory; avoids closed forest

Diet

Seeds, fruits, insects, worms, and even small vertebrates, such as geckos; feeds mostly in trees, but occasionally on the ground

Status

Critically Endangered

Breeding

Both parents build a nest of dry twigs in a natural tree hole or old woodpecker hole. Incubation of a clutch of 2-3 eggs is handled mostly by the female. Eggs hatch after 12-15 days. They are fed in the nest for 3-4 weeks and for another seven weeks after fledging.

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Barred Owl Strix varia

FUN FACT

Many people learned the Barred Owl’s memorable call at summer camp or a local nature center—it sounds like, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for y’all?”

A relatively common Nearctic owl, the Barred Owl inhabits mature mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, often near streams or wooded swamps. This owl nests primarily in cavities, with both parents helping to care for the young until the autumn. Barred Owls have a varied diet of small mammals and birds. Barred Owls are, unfortunately, susceptible to collisions with automobiles as the owls may attack prey on roads passing through their forested territories. But, this species has been expanding its range from eastern North America all the way to the West Coast.

Barred Owl

Strix varia
Nearctic

Habitat

Mature mixed deciduous-coniferous forest, often near streams or wooded swamps

Diet

Small-to-medium sized mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Barred Owls nest in large tree cavities and more rarely in the open stick nests of other birds or squirrels. Females incubate a clutch of 2-5 eggs for about 30 days. Young are fed by both parents and can leave the nest at about 5 weeks old.

Bearded Barbet Lybius dubius

FUN FACT

Barbets are related to toucans and woodpeckers.

The Bearded Barbet derives its name from the distinctive bristles that sit at the base of its bill, which both males and females possess. This handsome bird, with bright red underbelly and glossy black feathers on its back, is native to the tropical habitats of western Africa. Bearded Barbets are often found in groups, moving from one fruiting tree to another and clipping fruits with their powerful bills. The Bearded Barbet is not globally threatened.

Bearded Barbet

Lybius dubius
Afrotropical

Habitat

Occurs near acacia, baobab, fig, and other fruiting trees in gardens; also in open woods and thickets and secondary growth associated with abandoned farmlands

Diet

Little known, but includes fruit, and perhaps chiefly figs

Status

Least Concern

Breeding

Bearded Barbets excavate a nest in a dead stub or dead branch of a tree, such as acacia or palm. Their nesting habits are little studied. They are reported to lay 2 eggs. In human care, Bearded Barbets incubate their eggs for at least 16 days and nestlings remain with parents for about 40 days.

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The National Aviary is home to more than 500 birds representing 150 species; some of which live in behind-the-scenes habitats. To enhance our guests’ educational experience, and with regard to individual bird preferences, different species may spend time in various public-facing habitats.

In The News

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Pittsburgh’s National Aviary welcomes a new male Andean Condor | 90.5 WESA

The National Aviary publicly welcomed a new, male Andean Condor named Bud to Pittsburgh this week.

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Meet Bud: National Aviary announces arrival of new Andean condor | WTAE

The National Aviary announced the arrival of one of its newest residents Thursday.

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Valentine’s Day Lovebirds: National Aviary celebrates dove hatching, bird couples | Yahoo! News

This Valentine’s Day, love is in the air, right alongside the birds at the National Aviary.

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National Aviary Mourns the Loss of a Fan-Favorite Bird | Pittsburgh Magazine

The National Aviary is moving forward without one of its most popular and colorful attractions — a favorite among both staff and visitors.

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