View source for Aviary

{{Short description|Large enclosure for confining birds}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Other uses|Aviary (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Aviary Néthen.jpg|thumb|upright|Home aviary, Néthen, Belgium, non-commercial wooden construction]]

An '''aviary''' is a large enclosure for confining [[birds]], although [[bats]] may also be considered for display. Unlike [[birdcage]]s, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where [[Bird flight|they can fly]]; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as '''flight cages''' in the United Kingdom. Aviaries often contain plants and shrubbery to simulate a natural environment.

==Various types of aviary==
Large aviaries are often found in the setting of a [[zoo|zoological garden]] (for example, the [[London Zoo]], the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoo in Washington, D.C.]], and the [[San Diego Zoo]]). Walk-in aviaries also exist in bird parks, including the spacious [[Bird Paradise]] in [[Singapore]], or the smaller [[Edward Youde Aviary]] in [[Hong Kong]]. [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]] is home to the USA's [[National Aviary]], perhaps the most prominent example in North America of an aviary not set inside a zoo. However, the oldest public aviary not set inside a zoo in North America, the [[Hamilton Aviary]] is located in [[Hamilton, Ontario]], [[Canada]]. Tracy Aviary is an example of a bird park within a public [[urban park]], [[Liberty Park (Salt Lake City)|Liberty Park]] in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]].<ref>[http://www.tracyaviary.org/about/history.php Tracy Aviary History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011060819/http://www.tracyaviary.org/about/history.php |date=11 October 2008 }} retrieved on 7 December 2008.</ref> Some smaller sized aviaries can often be found in European manorial gardens, such as [[Waddesdon Manor]], UK, and [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]], France. Some [[public aquarium|public aquaria]], such as the [[Oregon Coast Aquarium]], [[Newport, Oregon]], or the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]], have aquatic aviaries.<ref name="Birds">[http://www.aquarium.org/exhibitsBirds.asp?sid=2 Birds] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219115725/http://www.aquarium.org/exhibitsBirds.asp?sid=2 |date=19 February 2009 }}, [http://www.aquarium.org/ Oregon Coast Aquarium's official website], retrieved on 3 February 2007.</ref><ref name="Sandy Shores">[http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/sandy.asp Sandy Shores] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212155628/http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/sandy.asp |date=12 February 2009 }}, [http://www.mbayaq.org/ Monterey Bay Aquarium's official website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214235655/http://www.mbayaq.org/ |date=14 February 2009 }}, retrieved on 3 February 2007.</ref>

Home aviaries are popular with some bird [[animal fancy|fanciers]] who have the space for them. Many bird breeders refer to their setups as "aviaries", since most bird pairs breed better there than in breeding ''cages''. Home aviaries may be built by the owner or obtained from a commercial supplier.

There are two main subcategories of home aviaries: grounded aviaries and suspended aviaries. Grounded aviaries have a [[concrete]] base to keep out rats and other vermin. Suspended aviaries are elevated with only the 'legs' of the aviaries affixed to the ground, eliminating the need for a protective base. Most grounded aviaries typically feature a [[woodwork]] or [[PVC]] frame unlike the [[metal]] frame of public aviaries; however, it isn't uncommon for suspended aviaries to feature a metal frame.
Aviaries are also used for research purposes in ornithology institutes.

== History ==

=== Early modern origins ===
Aviaries date back to at least the 1500s, possibly earlier, as found in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan as noted by Hernán Cortés when he and his men arrived in 1521. Also the ''Raven Cage'' (created in 1829), is regarded as one of the oldest structures in the [[London Zoo]].<ref name="ZSL-architecture" />
[[File:A Bali Starling or Rothschild Mynah at the Waddesdon Aviary.jpg|thumb|The [[Bali myna|Bali Myna]], otherwise known as the Rothschild Myna, is one of the seven EAZA species at [[Waddesdon Manor]]'s Aviary in Buckinghamshire, UK.]]

=== Victorian revival ===
[[File:Military aviary2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Proposed architectural design for a French military aviary to house [[swallow]]s as messenger birds, based upon a scheme by [[Jean Desbouvrie]], 1889]]The first large aviary inside a zoological garden was established in 1880 in the setting of the [[Diergaarde Blijdorp|Rotterdam Zoo]]. Aviaries were an important aspect for the many Rothschild houses that proliferated across Europe in the 19th century. This revived a late 1600s aristocratic custom, where the elite displayed power, status and wealth by exhibiting exotic birds and animals. For instance, [[Ferdinand de Rothschild|Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild]] built his aviary in 1889 at [[Waddesdon Manor]], UK, erected in the style of [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]]' trelliswork pavilions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://waddesdon.org.uk/your-visit/grounds/aviary/|title=The Aviary at Waddesdon Manor|access-date=23 November 2018}}</ref>

=== 20th century to modern day ===
In 1902, a flying cage was completed in the setting of the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoological Park]] of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. A new ''Great Flying Cage'' was built in 1964.<ref>[http://siarchives.si.edu/findingaids/faru0074.htm National Zoological Park, Records, 1887–1966], [[Smithsonian Institution Archives]].</ref>

[[Saint Louis Zoological Park|The Saint Louis Zoo]] is home to the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition|1904 World's Fair]] Flight Cage. It is one of only two permanent structures built for the World's Fair which still remain (the other is the [[Saint Louis Art Museum]]'s [[Cass Gilbert]] building). In 1904, it was the largest bird cage ever built. It remains one of the world's largest free-flight aviaries. The {{convert|228|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} long, {{convert|84|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} wide, and {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} high cage was built by the Smithsonian Institution specifically for the St. Louis World's Fair. Local pride in the giant cage motivated [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] to finally establish a zoo in 1910.

In 1937, the [[San Diego Zoo]]'s aviary designed by architect [[Louis John Gill]] opened; it was then the largest in the world. The mammoth steel structure, {{convert|180|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} long, {{convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} wide and more than {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} high, funded by the [[Works Progress Administration]] at a cost of $50,000, had no beams, cross or guy-wires to impede the flight of the birds.<ref>"Giant Zoo Cage to be Dedicated by Eagles Soon," ''San Diego Union'', 21 February 1937.</ref><ref>[https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/84summer/gill.htm San Diego Historical Society]</ref>

With the Antwerp cage system (1948), birds are only separate from public with a light system used indoor the ''Bird Building'' at [[Antwerp Zoo]].<ref>"European zoos", ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'', Vol. 25, No. 23, 6 December 1948.</ref>

At the [[Frankfurt Zoo]], the bird house was built in 1969. Its ''Bird Halls'' presented birds for the first time in large glassed miniature habitats. In diving exhibits, [[darter]]s and [[kingfisher]]s could be seen hunting under water, and in the free-flight hall visitors still walk amongst tropical birds in dense [[vegetation]].<ref name="Frankfurt">Petzold, Dirk, "Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt am Main", in ''Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos'', Bell, Catharine E. (ed.), Fitzroy Dearborn, Chicago, 2001, Vol.3, pp.1452–1457. {{ISBN|1-57958-174-9}};
<br>Scherpner, Christian, "Walk-through Bird aviaries at Frankfurt Zoo", ''International Zoo Yearbook'', Vol. 5, No. 1, 1965, pp. 244–246.</ref>
In 1963, the same principle was used outdoors to construct the ''Bird Thicket'', ten aviaries surrounded by dense bushes and designed in various habitat settings, which visitors can enter through wire netted doors and curtains of cords.<ref name="Frankfurt" />

The ''Snowdon Aviary'' in [[London Zoo]] was designed by [[Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon]], [[Cedric Price]] and [[Frank Newby]], and built in 1962–1964.<ref name="ZSL-architecture">[http://www.zsl.org/info/about-us/zoo-architecture,103,AR.html ZSL Architecture]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228070202/http://www.zsl.org/info/about-us/zoo-architecture%2C103%2CAR.html |date=28 February 2008 }}, [[Zoological Society of London|ZSL]], retrieved on 3 June 2008.</ref>

The [[Bronx Zoo]]'s ''World of Birds'', a two-story bird house completed in 1972, is a huge, landscaped, indoor free-flight exhibit. The one-way flow pattern in the exhibit moves the visitors through twenty-five birds habitats, ranging from [[desert]] to [[tropics|tropical]] [[forest]]. Each setting recreates with impressive fidelity the microculture of the birds that fly merrily about within their [[diorama]] world, complete with living [[plant]]s. Five of the aviaries are completely open: in two of the largest the uncaged public walks through the habitat with birds freely overhead.<ref>Kidder Smith, G. E., ''Source Book of American Architecture: 500 Notable Buildings from the 10th Century to the Present'', Princeton Architectural Press, Princeton, 2000, p.376. {{ISBN|1-56898-254-2}}</ref>

The [[Henry Doorly Zoo]]'s ''Simmons Aviary'' opened in 1983 and is one of the world's largest free-flight aviaries. About 500 birds from all parts of the world occupy the area of the aviary. In this {{convert|4|acre|m2|adj=on|order=flip}} exhibit, visitors see [[flamingo]]s, [[duck]]s, [[swan]]s, [[stork]]s, [[crane (bird)|crane]]s, [[spoonbill]]s, [[ibis]] and [[egret]]s. The Aviary is {{convert|800|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} long and rises to {{convert|75|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} at the center. The structure of two-inch nylon mesh is supported by a system of cables and poles. The use of [[nylon]] instead of [[wire]] is a unique concept.<ref>[http://www.omahazoo.com/index.php?p=animalsexhibits&s=aviary Henry Doorly Zoo's Aviary] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223073826/http://www.omahazoo.com/index.php?p=animalsexhibits&s=aviary |date=23 December 2008 }} retrieved on 27 November 2008.</ref>

[[Birds of Eden]] bird sanctuary, located in the [[Western Cape]] of [[South Africa]], is possibly the largest free flight aviary in the world. The aviary opened in 2005 and covers an area of {{convert|21761|m2|foot2|abbr=on}} with a total volume of {{convert|375372|m3|foot3|abbr=on}}. It is home to around 3,000 individual birds from 200 species.

==List of public aviaries==
{{Expand list|date=October 2011}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Name !! Location !! data-sort-type=number | Size
|-
| [[Bali Bird Park]] || [[Bali]], Indonesia {{flag icon|Indonesia}} || 20,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Bioparco di Roma]] || [[Rome]], Italy {{flag icon|Italy}} || 725 m<sup>2</sup><ref>{{Cite web |title=Voliera: scopri tutti gli uccelli della Grande voliera del Bioparco! |url=https://www.bioparco.it/la-grande-voliera/ |access-date=28 May 2025 |website=Bioparco di Roma |language=it-IT}}</ref>
|-
| [[Bird Garden of Isfahan]] || Iran {{flag icon|Iran}} || 17,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Bird Kingdom]] || [[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara Falls]], Ontario, Canada {{flag icon|Canada}} || 4,200 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Bird Paradise]] || [[Mandai]], Singapore {{flag icon|Singapore}} || 170,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Birds of Eden]] || [[Western Cape]], South Africa {{flag icon|South Africa}} || 23,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Bloedel Floral Conservatory]] || [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, Canada {{flag icon|Canada}} || 1,450 m<sup>2</sup> 
|-
| [[Chai Nat Bird Park]] || Thailand {{flag icon|Thailand }} || 38,500 m<sup>2</sup><ref>{{Cite web |last=webmaster@thaiticketmajor.com |title=Chainat Bird Park: An Exotic Experience Inside The Largest Aviary in Asia |url=http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/Travel-News/Chainat-Bird-Park:-An-Exotic-Experience-Inside-The-Largest-Aviary-in-Asia-2002-en.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110114332/http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/Travel-News/Chainat-Bird-Park:-An-Exotic-Experience-Inside-The-Largest-Aviary-in-Asia-2002-en.html |archive-date=10 November 2016 |access-date=29 May 2025 |website=ThaiTicketMajor}}</ref>
|-
| [[Clissold Park]] || [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], United Kingdom {{flag icon|United Kingdom}} || 54 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Edward Youde Aviary]] || [[Hong Kong]], China {{flag icon|China}} || 3,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Flamingo Gardens]] || [[Davie, Florida|Davie]], Florida, United States {{flag icon|United States}} || 2,300 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Flying High Bird Sanctuary]] || [[Apple Tree Creek]], Australia {{flag icon|Australia}} || 8,100 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| Great South American Aviary || [[ZooParc de Beauval]], France {{flag icon|France}} ||
|-
| [[Hamilton Aviary]] || [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], Ontario, Canada {{flag icon|Canada}} ||
|-
| [[Karanji_Lake#Aviary|Karanji Lake Aviary]] || [[Mysuru]], India {{flag icon|India}} || 2,400 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Kobe Kachoen]] || [[Kobe]], Japan {{flag icon|Japan}} ||
|-
| [[Kuala Lumpur Bird Park]] || [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia {{flag icon|Malaysia}} || 85,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| Lake View Bird Park || [[Islamabad]], Pakistan {{flag icon|Pakistan}} ||
|-
| Les Aigles du Léman || [[Sciez]], France {{flag icon|France}} ||
|-
| [[Liberty Park (Salt Lake City)|Tracy Aviary]] || [[Salt Lake City]], Utah, United States {{flag icon|United States}} || 32,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Melaka Bird Park]] || [[Melaka]], Malaysia {{flag icon|Malaysia}} || 20,200 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Zoo Miami|Wings of Asia]]|| [[Miami Metro Zoo]], Florida, United States {{flag icon|United States}} || 5,017 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[National Aviary]] || [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania, United States {{flag icon|United States}} ||
|- 
| [[The Nest (aviary)|The Nest]] || Ixtapaluca, Mexico {{flag icon|Mexico }} || 70,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|- 
| [[Palmitos Park]] || [[Canary Islands]], Spain {{flag icon|Spain}} ||
|-
| [[Parque das Aves]] || [[Foz do Iguaçu]], Brazil {{flag icon|Brazil}} || 160,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| Shuka Vana || [[Mysuru]], India {{flag icon|India}} ||
|-
| [[Saint Louis Zoo]] || [[St. Louis|St Louis]], Missouri, United States {{flag icon|United States}} || 1,794 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Omaha%27s_Henry_Doorly_Zoo_and_Aquarium#Simmons_Aviary|Simmons Aviary]] || Omaha, Nebraska, United States {{flag icon|United States}} || 16,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Turtle Back Zoo]] || [[New Jersey]], United States {{flag icon|United States}} ||
|-
| [[Voliere Zürich]] || [[Enge (Zürich)|Enge]], Zürich, Switzerland {{flag icon|Switzerland}} ||
|-
| [[World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park]] || [[Hout Bay]], Cape Town, South Africa {{flag icon|South Africa}} || 40,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Waddesdon Manor]]'s [https://waddesdon.org.uk/your-visit/grounds/aviary/ Aviary] || United Kingdom {{flag icon|United Kingdom}} ||
|-
| [[Weltvogelpark Walsrode]] || Germany {{flag icon|Germany}} || 240,000 m<sup>2</sup>
|}

===Former aviaries===

* [[Aviary (Lynchburg, Virginia)|Aviary]] — Lynchburg, Virginia {{flag icon|United States }}
* [[Alfa Planetarium]] — Mexico {{flag icon|Mexico}}
* [[Catalina Bird Park]] — California, United States {{flag icon|United States }}
* [[Leeds_Castle#Tourism|Leeds Castle]] — Leeds, United Kingdom {{flag icon|United Kingdom}}
* [[Living Coasts]] — Torquay, Devon, United Kingdom {{flag icon|United Kingdom}}
* [[London Zoo|Snowdon Aviary]] — London, United Kingdom {{flag icon|United Kingdom}}
* [[Jurong Bird Park]] — Singapore {{flag icon|Singapore}}
* [[Varro's Aviary]] — Italy (ancient)

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:1904 Flight Cage.JPG|1904 Flight Cage<br />[[Saint Louis Zoological Park|St. Louis Zoo]]
File:Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo-30April2005.jpg|The Snowdon Aviary in [[London Zoo]]
File:Voliere Schoenbrunn.jpg|Aviary in the gardens of [[Schönbrunn Palace]] in [[Vienna]], [[Austria]]
File:Vulier.JPG|Aviary in a [[farm]] of [[Concorezzo]], [[Italy]]
File:Aviary at Waddesdon Manor.jpg|The Victorian Aviary at [[Waddesdon Manor]], a [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] property in Buckinghamshire, 1889
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{EB1911 poster|Aviary}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prsXzDCRh-w Waddesdon Manor's Aviary, YouTube video]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060703051625/http://www.stlzoo.org/yourvisit/thingstoseeanddo/historichill/1904flightcage.htm 1904 Flight Cage]
* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/affiliates/images/csdhi/kt0290182t/hi-res/11499.jpg 1926 Scripps Aviary, San Diego Zoo]
* [http://www.birdsofeden.co.za Birds of Eden], a {{convert|2.176|ha|m2}} aviary in South Africa
* [https://tracyaviary.org/ Tracy Aviary]
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73801  My pets: Real happenings in my aviary] (1908). [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1041 Marshall Saunders] 

{{Zoos}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aviaries| ]]
[[Category:Aviculture]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures used to confine animals]]
[[Category:Bird parks]]