Australasian Aviaries: Rain forest jewels
The Australasian region, which includes Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania, and neighboring islands, is home to many species of plants and animals. Such abundant biodiversity has evolved because of the many isolated islands, wide range of climate, and isolation due to high mountain ranges and deep valleys.
Our Australasian aviaries present some of the diverse jewels of the San Diego Zoo’s bird collection, one of the premier collections of birds found anywhere in the world. These aviaries are currently home to over 100 birds native to Australasia. There are 36 exhibits within five modules of aviaries designed to house multiple species of birds, including endangered Micronesian kingfishers, hornbill species, lories, and the ever-fascinating Raggiana birds of paradise.
Unlike walk-through aviaries, which are beautiful to see but often hard to manage, the Australasian aviaries present a beautiful area that can be managed with meticulous care. This helps us to exhibit some critically endangered species successfully. Each exhibit is landscaped to duplicate its resident’s wild habitat, and the keeper in this area also tends to the needs of the plants as well as the exotic birds.
