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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National Aviary reveals genders of its newest African penguins | WTAE

The National Aviary revealed the genders of its newest African penguins on social media Tuesday. The penguins hatched in early February, and they are the offspring of penguin parents Bette and Sidney.

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National Aviary reveals genders of its newest African Penguin chicks | WPXI

Another aviary resident, Red the Scarlet Macaw, helped with the reveal, opening bird safe “candies.”

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National Aviary reveals genders of 2 new African penguin chicks | CBS News

With the help of a scarlet macaw, the National Aviary revealed the genders of its newest African penguins on Tuesday.

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3 young peregrine falcons on Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning fledge the nest | KDKA News

The three young peregrine falcons that hatched on top of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning this spring have fledged the nest.

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Sky Deck at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Today Live

Katie joined us from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh to show us a global odyssey that has turned Pittsburgh into a first-class ticket to the wildest corners of the world.

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