Preventative Medicine

Preventative Medicine

The National Aviary’s skilled veterinary team provide a high level of care to meet each individual’s needs and to keep every animal who calls the National Aviary home thriving and healthy. Birds, like any other animal, require regular, routine care for their wellbeing through all stages of their lives.

Caring for a flock of over 500 birds is no small undertaking. The National Aviary’s veterinary team perform annual exams on birds as large as a Steller’s Sea-Eagle to those as small as a Guam Kingfisher, from flightless birds like African Penguins to long-legged shorebirds like American Flamingos. Annual health screenings involve a physical evaluation, vaccinations, special treatments, and checkups of any pre-existing conditions.

Veterinary staff customize routine care for each species and each animal’s individual needs. For example, to examine Southern Three-banded Armadillos, the veterinary team uses mirrors to view the armadillos’ underbodies—this keeps the armadillos’ comfortable and prevents them from curling up into a ball, which is a natural behavior. Examining a large bird, like an Andean Condor, requires multiple veterinary team members coordinating closely to complete assessments quickly.

A Ruddy Duck chick receives a wellness checkup in the National Aviary’s Avian Hospital.

In The News

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Pittsburgh’s Regional Asset District issues record preliminary budget | 90.5 WESA

In all, RAD proposes to fund 107 organizations of all sizes, from the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, the National Aviary, Pittsburgh Symphony and Heinz History Center to small dance and theater troupes.

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Pittsburgh conservation planting seeds for visitors and investment | Capital Analytics Associates

Pittsburgh’s conservation institutions are a growing part of the Commonwealth’s outdoor recreation economy. At the National Aviary, Executive Director Cheryl Tracy says the institution is “just getting started,” despite nearly 75 years of history.

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2nd extinct-in-wild Guam kingfisher hatches at National Aviary | CBS News

For the second time this year, a bird that's extinct in the wild hatched at the National Aviary.

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Jungle Creatures and Fantastic Features: Toucans | Phipps Conservatory

Jungle Quest invites guests on a stunning safari bursting with terrific topiary animals, tropical foliage and beautiful blooms...including some animals you can see at the Aviary!

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Uncover Mystical “Creatures” and Meet the Bird Species who Inspired them during Forests this fall, ONLY at the National Aviary! | National Aviary

Journey throughout Forests Presented by Peoples, the Aviary’s new fall theme; learn more about the otherworldly species who inhabit these magical woodland areas.

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