A Bald Eagle, one of the stars of the new show, perches on rocks in the Helen M. Schmidt FliteZone Theater.
The National Aviary today debuted its newest immersive bird show in the Helen M. Schmidt FliteZone™ Theater. Habitat Heroes Presented by AAA Travel takes audiences on an adventure around the world following superheroes like the impressive Bald Eagle and the majestic Gray Crowned-Crane. The birds fly, strut, and glide right by the audience, accompanied by dramatic video, comic book-inspired art created by local artist Maria DeSimone Prascak of Maria’s Ideas, theatrical lighting, and thrilling music. Habitat Heroes tells the story of each remarkable species, revealing their superpower-like adaptations and encouraging guests to become heroes for birds and their habitats, too.
Throughout the show, audience members at Habitat Heroes Headquarters receive dispatches from “agents in the field” around the world as animals engage in their natural superpowers. Green-winged Macaws demonstrate their intelligence and problem-solving skills. Raptors like a Harris’s Hawk or Augur Buzzard show their super-sharp eyesight in flight, and a Eurasian Eagle-Owl soars overhead silently. The audience also meets a Gray Crowned-Crane with the power of invisibility thanks to camouflage plumage, an indestructible Southern Three-banded Armadillo with hard armor, and a resilient and powerful Bald Eagle, one of North America’s greatest conservation success stories.
“Owls have a sense of hearing so finely tuned they can hear prey rustling in the snow far away. Falcons are some of the fastest flyers on Earth. Parrots are incredibly intelligent problem solvers. Habitat Heroes explores the superhero-like adaptations that make it possible for birds to thrive in even the harshest environments,” says Cathy Schlott, the National Aviary’s Director of Animal Programs and Experiences. “Birds are habitat heroes because of the vital roles they play in their ecosystems, but even heroes need help sometimes. Our new show encourages our audience to connect with animals in a new way and learn how they, too, can be heroes for the environment—no superhuman powers required!”
Habitat Heroes Presented by AAA Travel is not only an opportunity to see the awe-inspiring superpowers and adaptations of animals up close. It also shares an important message about the role each person can play in saving birds and protecting habitats. One lucky audience member will even leave each showing armed with a tool to help them make a sustainable swap—a stainless steel drinking straw—delivered to them by a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot.
Habitat Heroes Presented by AAA Travel is now open to the public. It is offered daily except for Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and can be purchased online with a general admission ticket reservation, or on site at the Visitor Services Desk.