Birds Exhibits

Birds have always had a special place at Southwick's Zoo; it began many years ago with founding father, Justin A. Southwick's passion for migratory water fowl. Today, the bird collection at Southwick's Zoo has evolved to include not only a diverse bird collection, but live animal presentations at Bird Talk and at the Earth Discovery Center. Bird Talk is a unique interactive learning experience; daily 1pm- 3pm, Memorial Day through Labor Day, weather permitting. The Earth Discovery Center offers live animal presentations daily featuring exotic birds, small mammals & reptiles. Some of the animals at Bird Talk and the Earth Discovery Center have been rescued or are donated birds that have been rehabilitated here at Southwick's Zoo. It is wonderful to see these animals thrive under the dedication of the Bird Talk & Earth Ltd staff. To inquire about Bird Talk or Bird Donations please contact us at linda@southwickszoo.com.

Southwick's Zoo features hundreds of species of animals from around the world. Some of the birds featured are the Macaw, Cockatoo, Conures, Eclectus, Cockatielsis, Ostrich, Emu, Rhea, African Crowned Crane, Flamingos, Mandarin Ducks, Polish Chickens, Fancy Pigeons, Kookaburra birds, and more.

During your visit to Southwick's Zoo be sure to stop by
Parakeet Landing; a walk through aviary experience with parakeets and cockatiels; here you can feed the birds as well... or simply relax and enjoy!

Bird Fun Facts:

Birds are very intelligent, they have been know to solve problems such as figuring out how to open cages, doors, & latches!

The Blue & Gold Macaw is actually one of the few animals in the world that blush when they become excited!

Many Macaws & Cockatoos have long lifespans, some up to 80 years. Cockatoos mate for life and often bond to their owners as to a mate, so changing home environments and multiple owners can be really stressful and harmful to these animals.

Rheas are the largest bird in South America and are related to ostriches and emus. Emu Oil is considered to have many medicinal benefits including helping skin irritations, body aches, migraines, burns, joint pain, and more.

African Crowned Cranes have prehensile toes that allow them to roost in trees which is uncommon for cranes.

The Congo (African Gray) parrot is considered to the be "Cadillac" of talking birds due to the mimicry and large vocabulary.

Flamingos are actually white in color. The "pink" coloring is from their diet, usually from eating shrimp.

Ostriches do not bury their head in the sand. When they feel threatened, they are known to lie as low to the ground as they can to keep out of sight. During courtship, the male Ostrich who are a beautiful black and white color, dance to attract the smaller, light brown/gray female. The male will kneel on the ground and begin to rock side to side, wave and shake the feathers of first one wing and then the other while moving his tail up and down.