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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Two Eurasian Eagle-Owl Chicks Hatch at National Aviary | National Aviary

A Eurasian Eagle-Owl, one of the largest owl species in the world, has hatched at the National Aviary.

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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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