The 10 Biggest Bird Zoos In The World

Some of the biggest bird zoos in the world are largely off the radar of travelers. But you don’t need to camp out in the wilderness for days just to see an eagle or a falcon. These top 10 bird zoos are often visited by a growing number of people year by year. This enables their zoos to add new species every season and you can always go back to see more and more birds up close. Here are the zoos you can start with if you love birds.

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10. Calm Zoo, California

Image: Calm Zoo

From pelicans to eagles, you can see all types of birds in this zoo. One of the main attractions of the zoo isn’t a big bird but a medium-sized bird. The Acorn woodpecker is a true star here. Black with a red stripe on its head, it can be hard to see at first but easy to hear. This bird has normally seen harvesting acorns from trees. But these little birds are always prepared for tough days. This is why they also like to store foods such as nuts.

9. Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester

Image: Seneca Park Zoo

The Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester New York has some of the best birds to see, especially for kids who aren’t used to seeing these wild species so close. The snowy owl is one of the elegant birds here. This bird might be majestic, but it also eats fish and even other small birds. It would be hard to see one in the wild since the Snowy owl lives in Arctic regions. It’s mostly found around the coasts of Alaska, and Canada. This bird is also native to parts of Northern Russia.

8. Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis

Image: Saint Louis Zoo

St. Louis Zoo in Missouri is one of the largest in the country and one of the largest in North America. It has hundreds of interesting species that bird lovers can look at. One of the exotic birds which seems like a combination of cold-climate birds with warm-climate parrots here is the Toco Toucan.

This bird is among the most interesting when it comes to how it looks and how it sounds. Unlike a typical woodpecker, it comes with a red stripe on the chest instead of the head. Most of its body is black and as a result, it would be a bit more difficult to spot while on trees.

7. Auckland Zoo, New Zealand

Image: Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo in distant New Zealand is one of the best natural habitats for large birds. One of the biggest birds on display here is the ostrich. This is the largest bird in the world. It is often taller than a human. It also lays the largest eggs you can imagine. The bird is native to parts of Africa, particularly around savannas. It’s here that it prefers to stay close to other species for protective reasons. For example, you’d see it close to zebras in the wild. But it has its sanctuary at Auckland Zoo.

6. San Diego Zoo, San Diego

Image: San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is one of the best-funded in the country. It hosts a range of rare birds that many visitors love. One of them is the intriguing Harpy eagle. This threatened species is spectacular. It’s considered the strongest bird in the world by size and it has been seen out in the wild just a few times. It is native to the Northern Hemisphere and it is known to be an excellent prey bird. Scientists also believe this bird has the best hearing.

5. Elmwood Park Zoo, Norristown Pennsylvania

Image: Elmwood Park Zoo

The Elmwood Park Zoo is a fantastic place to see some of the most amazing creatures on Earth. If you’re ever wondered what the fastest bird is, you need to know it’s the Peregrine falcon. It has been proven this bird can reach flying speeds of 245 miles per hour making it the fastest animal and bird on the planet. It also has a distinct hunting style while it dives quickly making it a true predator.

4. Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, Boston, United Kingdom

https://youtube.com/watch?v=k_YbefjKpT0

This fantastic and underrated zoo next to Boston in the UK is one of the busiest destinations for bird lovers. It has the biggest parrot sanctuary you can imagine. Over 1.000 parrots live here. This section of the zoo has a history of nearly 3 decades. In this time, it has been known as the place where these colorful birds are easily rehabilitated.

3. Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha Nebraska

Image: Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

The ostrich is a star bird at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha. But you’ll also be interested in other smaller species that have a distinct lifestyle here. One of them is no-other than the Great roadrunner. As the name of this bird suggests, it manages to run fast instead of flying, making it distinct in the birds’ world.

2. Adelaide Zoo, Adelaide Australia

Image: Adelaide Zoo

This zoo is known for its cross-breeding bird programs. Swift parrots are among the species successfully bred here. These are some of the most popular parrots in the world. The green parrots have been featured in numerous activities and movies and it’s likely kids like them the most.

1. Sacramento Zoo, Sacramento California

Image: Facebook / Sacramento Zoo

If you want to see more bird species in one place instead of focusing on bird zoos that are specialized in certain species, you need to check out Sacramento Zoo. This location is known for birds such as the thick-billed parrot, the Southern White Face Owl, the Himalayan Monal, the Laughing Kookaburra, the Abyssian Ground Hornbill, or the Azure-winged Magpie. All of these birds can be seen here. The conditions at the zoo are some of the best and delicate birds such as the Caribbean Flamingo like the life they live here at Sacramento zoo.

All of these birds can be seen with simple one-ticker purchases. But you can also get a membership at Sacramento Zoo which offers you free entry around the year. Members of these zoos are also invited to special private events which might be an interesting approach for those who’d like to learn more about the birds here.