National Aviary

One of the national aviary's ongoing goals is to increase the number of people who are provided with an exceptional family recreational and learning experience. On the heels of a record breaking year in 2017, revenue from admissions and memberships increased 12% in 2018, while education program revenue increased 8%. New interactive, fun ways to engage audiences continue to be developed and integrated into the aviary's programming.

The national aviary continued to make significant improvements to its collection in 2018, with the acquisition of 8 new species of birds representing ambassador/education birds as well as breeding pairs. New species at the national aviary in 2018 included the andean cock-of-the-rock, edwards's pheasants, red-billed hornbills and white-throated bee eaters. New additions to our existing flock included black kites, guam kingfisher, hamerkop and southern bald ibis. Additionally, our flock produced 31 chicks representing 11 different species including the rare hatching of a black-faced ibis chick, the first in any north american zoo in 21 years. The national aviary's department of conservation and field research contributed to and/or published meaningful studies including (1) in the journal of caribbean ornithology about the identification of new bird species in hispaniola, (2) in novitates caribaea about trema fruits as a source of food for birds and subsequent possible reforestation, (3) in the online journal peerj detailing the use of dna metabarcoding as a non-invasive means of collecting data about birds' diets, and (4) in peerj about the relationship between stream acidity and reduced food resources for bird populations. The national aviary's director of conservation and field research continues to assist in the development of the next generation of conservationists by teaching a course in conservation biology at the university of pittsburgh's pymatuning laboratory of ecology and continuing to advise a doctoral student at duquesne university as he works through his dissertation research.

The aviary maintains a collection of approximately 500 birds which require daily care and husbandry, habitat maintenance, enrichment and special diets. The veterinary hospital provides high-quality veterinary care and preventative medicine to ensure the health of our avian residents. In 2018, the veterinary hospital administered 200 vaccinations and 2,184 preventative respiratory treatments and conducted 545 physical examinations. Throughout the year, 35 chicks were treated including assisted hatches, growth assessments and preventative examinations and vaccines. 219 cases of injury or illness were treated including reproductive problems and broken bones. In addition, the national aviary veterinary team was instrumental in completing and disseminating a new compendium to prevent the spread of chlamydia psittacae from birds to people, a standard now in use with the centers for disease control and prevention, association of zoos and aquariums and association of avian veterinarians (among other organizations). A total of 22 students, including 15 pre-veterinary and two veterinary students were trained in the teaching hospital and 25 students and professionals were mentored through the long-term mentorship program. Nearly 60 case consultations were provided to assist veterinarians nationally and internationally (as far away as thailand and south africa) with avian patients.