Birds Exhibits

Birds have always had a special place at Southwick's Zoo from the beginning. 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 as well. Bird Talk is a wonderfully unique interactive and learning experience for zoos in New England. At Bird Talk you will find birds from around the world and staff from Southwick's Zoo will be available to allow you to get up and personal with some of these beautiful animals. Bird Talk is available from 1pm - 3pm daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, weather permitting. The Earth Discovery Center offers live animal presentations daily that not only feature exotic birds, but small mammals & reptiles as well. Some of the animals at Bird Talk and the Earth Discovery Center are rescued or 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 staff.

Some of the animals you will see in Bird Talk or at the Earth Discovery Center include, Macaws, Cockatoos, Conures, Eclectus, & Cockatiels.

Southwick's Zoo is also home to other members of the bird family such as Ostrich, Emu, Rhea, African Crowned Crane, Flamingos, Mandarin Ducks, Polish Chickens, Fancy Pigeons, Kookaburra birds, and more.

Additionally, Southwick's Zoo is proud to announce the coming attraction of Parakeet Landing. Parakeet Landing will be a walk through aviary experience with parakeets and cockatiels scheduled to open summer 2009.

Bird Fun Facts:

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

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.

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

Many Macaws & Cockatoos have long lifespans, some up to 80 years. This means that owning one of these animals is really a lifelong commitment and should be thoroughly researched before owning one. Birds who have an unstable home life, do not have enough mental stimulation, or do not receive consistent attention and affection can start to exhibit avian stress disorder that can cause medical and behavioral problems.

Traditionally, the mandarin duck is a sign of happiness and fidelity. These ducks are usually not a food source due to their bad taste.

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. They get their "pink" coloring 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.

Ostriches have the largest eye of any land mammal and males are known for "booming" which is a loud sound that they primarily use in courtship and can be heard a mile away. The courtship process for ostriches is an amazing sight. During courtship, the males who are a beautiful black and white color "dances" to attract the smaller, light brown/gray female. He 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.

Hyacinth macaws are the largest of the macaws. Their beaks are so strong, they can easily snap metal or break a finger!

Kookaburra birds are sometimes called "laughing kookaburras" because of the laugh like sound they make.