Avian Hospital

Avian Hospital

Birds at the National Aviary receive the highest level of care from our team of dedicated, caring veterinarians. In our Avian Hospital, birds as small as Owl Finches and as large as Andean Condors, as common as a dove and as rare as the Extinct in the Wild Guam Kingfisher, receive care that is specialized for each individual bird’s needs and stage of life.

Dr. Pilar Fish, Senior Director of Zoological Advancement and Veterinary Medicine, and her outstanding team provide the National Aviary’s birds with dedicated prenatal, natal, and preventative care, as well as customized medicine and cutting-edge surgical and emergency treatment.

Each senior and special needs bird has a customized natural habitat designed for their preferences and with helpful aids such as ramps. The National Aviary staff prioritizes every bird’s comfort and daily well-being for these birds who play an important role in training the next generation of veterinarians. The mission of our skilled team is always to provide the very best and most thorough treatment and therapies to every bird, young or old.

Dr. Pilar Fish and a vet technician giving an African Penguin a checkup
Andean Condor chick vet check up

Birds are amazing creatures, displaying an incredible diversity in size, behavior, diet, and physical attributes. But, they are also fragile creatures with complex respiratory systems that are prone to infections, delicate bones that fracture easily, and bodies too small for typical veterinary drug doses and surgical equipment. Their unique physiology requires that we be innovative in caring for them, and their care can be costly.

Donate today to help us continue to provide uncompromised care to the National Aviary’s flock.

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National Aviary Teaching Hospital

Our renowned Veterinary Teaching Hospital offers valuable opportunities to students interested in pursuing careers in veterinary medicine, wildlife biology, bird conservation, and environmental education. Through workshops, presentations, and publications, our veterinary expertise and technical advancements not only benefit students but also aid other veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators worldwide.

We are dedicated to supporting the next generation of professionals through internships that provide training in field research, monitoring techniques, animal care, environmental education, and conservation practices. These experiences have had a profound impact here and in Latin America, South Africa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

An intern feeding a Fairy Blue-bird chick
Interns looking at x-rays alongside a National Aviary veterinarian.

National Aviary Avian Care Center

Our Avian Care Center, sponsored by Your Town Realty, offers a window into what it takes to care for the more than 500 birds and other animals at the National Aviary. Guests can see an array of specialized veterinary tools used for wellness exams, diagnostic screens, vaccinations, and preventative treatments.

Eurasian Eagle-Owl chicks, 2024
Valentino the sloth as a baby sleeping in cozy blankets
Baby Linnaeus’s Two-toed Sloth, Valentino, 2017

As guests walk past the Avian Care Center in The Charity Randall Foundation Eagle Hall, they may even hear a chirp…or two! Each hatching is unique and every chick has its own needs, especially during chickhood. The Avian Care Center provides optimal conditions for chicks to thrive and gives our guests a “birds-eye-view” into each stage of development and care.

Thank You to Avian Care Center Sponsor:

In The News

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Avian education center prepares to take flight in Pittsburgh | WESA

The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation is coming together with the National Aviary to build out an education wing in the aviary’s recently acquired conservation center in Fox Chapel, the National Aviary SK Rockwell Conservancy.

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Before, after or instead of the NFL Draft: Clemente, Warhol and the National Aviary in Pittsburgh | Cleveland.com

For artistry of a different sort, head a mile north to the National Aviary, home to more than 500 birds and a tropical oasis on even the coldest day.

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National Aviary in Pittsburgh receives $25K grant for protecting endangered species | Yahoo News

The funding will be used for breeding and reintroduction efforts, as well as educational programming, throughout the current calendar year.

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National Aviary in Pittsburgh receives $25K grant for protecting endangered species | WPXI

The funding will be used for breeding and reintroduction efforts, as well as educational programming, throughout the current calendar year.

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Pittsburgh’s National Aviary secures $25K to help endangered birds | WESA

The National Aviary will receive $25,000 from the Foxwynd Foundation to support existing programs that prioritize preservation and protection of endangered and at-risk bird species.

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